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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30008895">Do You Believe in Magic?: The 1000 Year Quest</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nine3rds/pseuds/nine3rds'>nine3rds</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>DYBIM [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action, Action &amp; Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure &amp; Romance, Comedy, M/M, Mages, Multi, it's time for a sequel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:55:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>35,099</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30008895</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nine3rds/pseuds/nine3rds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world of Magic and Mana, it's impossible to know what adventure awaits - that was a lesson that our main character, Choi Beomgyu had to learn the hard way. With Macabre Grimoire's plans foiled and the Allantrez Empire defeated, everything should have settled into a peaceful calm ...but Beomgyu had learned early on that nothing ever went as as expected. </p><p>(or; Welcome to the Sequel to "<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462647/chapters/69745791">Do You Believe in Magic</a>?". In this installment of the series, we see our favorite band of Mages navigate through a few new adventures that strengthen their abilities, their bonds with each other and their reputation throughout the land.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Choi Beomgyu/Choi Yeonjun, Choi Soobin/Kang Taehyun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>DYBIM [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2201202</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Into the New Dawn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi friends, I'm back with the second part of DYBIM!</p><p>If it's your first time reading this, please read the first part <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462647/chapters/69745791">DYBIM</a> - this is a direct continuation of that series. Everything will make much more sense after you read it!</p><p>If you're here again, thank you so much and I can't wait for you to join us in some brand new adventures. I've got some fun things planned for this part of the series and I'm excited to share it with you!</p><p>Enjoy ~</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a little over two months now.</p><p>“Why do you look more and more depressed every time I see you, Beomgyu?” Soobin asked as he towered over the Celestial Mage splayed across one of dining hall’s tables. He placed a plate of macarons in front of Beomgyu, a peace offering for the younger Mage. When Beomgyu didn’t raise his head from the table, Soobin pushed the plate closer with the smallest hope that would return that usual Beomgyu energy …but it didn’t as if the sweets would make a difference with whatever Beomgyu was feeling at the moment. “You want to talk about it?” Soobin offered as he finally took the seat in front of Beomgyu. He reached over and pet Beomgyu’s head, “Or are you going to let it fester until you can’t take it anymore and I have to stage a break-in to your apartment and hold an intervention?” At Beomgyu’s silence, Soobin withdrew his hand and raised an eyebrow, “Come on, Beomgyu. Please let me help.”</p><p>“Why did you get fifteen macarons? That’s such a weird number for a peace offering,” Beomgyu easily ignored that questions and reached for the macarons but pulled back the moment Soobin smacked the back of his hand, “Ouch!” He finally rose his head from the table and glared at Soobin, “Weren’t these for me anyway? Why are you being so stingy now?”</p><p>“You can’t be rewarded with sweets unless you answer my questions, dummy,” Soobin glared at him as he pulled the plate away. “You haven’t gone a Quest in almost a month now. Every single time I ask you to go on one, you mumbled some excuse and locked yourself into your apartment.”</p><p>“Maybe, I just don’t feel like it,” Beomgyu shrugged at Soobin. He didn’t really feel like talking but those macarons looked too delicious, “I don’t know. I’m just not motivated to go on any Quests right now, Soobin. It’s not like I need to pay for my apartment anymore. <em>King</em> Yeonjun took care of everything.”</p><p>“And that’s it,” Soobin snapped before he pointed at Beomgyu, “What happened between you and Yeonjun?”</p><p>
  <em>Curse that stupid Healer’s intuition.</em>
</p><p>“We’re fighting,” Beomgyu bitterly confessed. That’s what it was, wasn’t it? His bottom lip jutted out into a pout as he deeply inhaled, his cheeks puffed up before he sighed. It was easier to fight Dark Guilds than have to navigate through this.</p><p>“Fighting? You two seemed like you were ready to get on that permanent honeymoon last time I saw you two together. Like, when you two got back from your month-long vacation, I swore you two might have just eloped,” Soobin teased but slowed his words down as he saw the flicker of emotion wander through Beomgyu. Beomgyu was thankful that Soobin <em>did </em>have that intuition – it spared him from some extra frustration. Soobin nodded toward Beomgyu as he pressed on for more, “So, what happened between the two of you?”</p><p>“Our engagement happened,” Beomgyu frowned, then he let out a heavy sigh as he reached for the macaron. Soobin didn’t even bother to try and stop Beomgyu this time. The Celestial Mage chewed through the dessert before he continued his explanation, “I told him that I love him very, <em>very</em> much, because I do and I don’t think that I could ever stop, but I think that we were both <em>too</em> young to get married. I mean, he literally just got crowned the new King and there’s so much for him to do and I don’t know the first thing about being the King’s new husband or anything about royalty and the monarchy and whatever other duties that the spouse of a King is supposed to have. He didn’t say anything after I told him that, he just nodded. Then,” Beomgyu let out the heaviest sigh he had ever released. His vision started to blur as he felt the tears start to well up, “He was gone by the morning, didn’t even kiss me good-bye or tell me when he was going to come back. And now …it’s been two months and I haven’t heard from him. I know, <em>I know</em>. He’s busy with all the new King stuff, but like …he’s never been someone to <em>not</em> contact me and and <em>and</em> …”</p><p>Soobin waited for Beomgyu to continue, but the younger Mage just ate more macarons.</p><p>“I wish he would have just broken up with me instead of ghosting me,” Beomgyu muttered as he let out another sigh. He stuffed an entire macaron into his mouth before he looked up at Soobin. He struggled to chew it quickly. With a final sigh, he sarcastically said, “Thank you, Soobin. Since I’ve finally gotten that off my chest, I can go on that Quest with you now!” He gave Soobin a cheeky grin and a half-assed thumbs-up.</p><p>Beomgyu did not feel like going on a Quest. Not now, not anytime soon but if it would get Soobin and everyone else to get off his back, he’d go on a stupid Quest.</p><p>“Wait, wait. Two months?” Soobin’s eyes looked at Beomgyu and then looked up to the ceiling as he attempted to calculate something.</p><p>“Don’t hurt yourself thinking,” Beomgyu commented as he ate another macaron while he watched the failed calculations happen in Soobin’s mind.</p><p>“No, shut up,” Soobin swatted at Beomgyu, “You said two months, right? Do you realize it’s <em>also</em> been two months since the Guild’s been given a job from the King and that’s not like Yeonjun? Not to be insensitive about your break-up and all, but he’s <em>too</em> responsible to not contact the Guild, especially since he was trying to set up a Royal Magic Council with us.”</p><p>“Not to be insensitive about <em>my</em> break-up?” Beomgyu repeated as he stared at Soobin, mouth agape and eyes wide open. After a second, he narrowed his eyes at the older Mage as he shook his head. There was a feeble attempt at a smart-aleck remark, but instead of following through with it, Beomgyu just reached for another macaron. “I don’t even know if we’re broken up or still engaged …,” Beomgyu muttered in a quiet whisper before he sighed again, “I wish he really would have just broken up with me if he was going to go ghost for two months …it’s the not knowing part that’s hard.” He chewed through another macaron – the sugary dessert started to taste more bitter than it was sweet.</p><p>The Celestial Mage had been able to hold himself together when everything was just in his head, but as he put it out in the open, it felt heavier; the weight of the truth he shared didn’t feel any lighter, it felt as though it would crush him from its immensity. Maybe he should have just kept his mouth shut about all of this. Maybe he should have just never mentioned how he felt about the engagement in the first place, too? <em>Maybe</em> …Beomgyu’s frown deepened. There were all of these ‘maybes’ and the more that Beomgyu let them stay in his mind, the more he felt as though he would lose himself to its implications.</p><p>“Even if he <em>was</em> mad at me, you’re right. He wouldn’t go ghost and leave the Guild without communication. Unless …,” Beomgyu put his face into his hands and spoke with muffled words, “Unless, he really did break-up with me and he no longer wants anything to do with me. Which means that I <em>royally</em> fucked it up for everyone in the Guild.” An annoyed and frustrated groan came out of Beomgyu before he sighed, “I wish I could just ask him.”</p><p>“Couldn’t we?” Soobin asked as he rose an eyebrow at Beomgyu.</p><p>“Couldn’t we <em>wha</em>t?”</p><p>“Ask him. We could just go to the castle and ask him what’s going on?” Soobin suggested, “I mean, the King’s supposed to take audience form the citizens of his Kingdom, right? Even if you’re his ex now, we’re still citizens of this Kingdom.”</p><p>“Oh …,” the realization hit Beomgyu slowly. He had kept himself so preoccupied with the unspoken thoughts that he overcomplicated everything for himself, “You’re right.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Cards sliced through the air, sailed easily through the tension that hung in the space before they embedded themselves into their intended targets.</p><p>Taehyun quickly reached into his pocket and drew out more cards as he aimed them the Dark Mages in the room. He rolled forward, ducked away from the spells that were cast at him. As he came up from his forward roll, he threw the charged cards into the spellcasters. When cards connected with the spellcasters, they exploded in Taehyun’s charged Mana – the Mages were blown aside, many of them hit the walls around them.</p><p>“Taehyun!” Kai called out as he rushed past Taehyun. He sprinted to the Dark Mages that aimed their spells at his best friend – a purple Casting Circle emerged on his back; a purple light began to swell upon his back as the dark wings of a Dragon appeared. With his new wings, Kai propelled himself into the Dark Mages; the force of his tackle had increased from the strength of the wings and power of a Dragon. The impact threw the Dark Mages backward, sent them into the wall along with their already fallen brethren.</p><p>“Huening! Thanks,” Taehyun said as he gave Kai a high-five, “You and I are the perfect team.”</p><p>Kai grinned at Taehyun, “That’s why we’re best friends. We’re just too strong together.”</p><p>Taehyun grinned as he looked around the Dark Guildhall. The two of them stood in the center of this Guildhall, surrounded by the fallen Dark Mages. He looked around, quietly nodded as he took in the work that they had done. With the two of them partnered up, these simple fights were no challenge.</p><p>At the sound of boots across the stone floor, Taehyun and Kai’s attentions turned up to the man that walked into the Guildhall. Nothing ever seemed to go easy for the BH Mages – Taehyun wondered who their next challenger would be. He reached a hand into his pocket, cards ready to be charged between his fingers. The pair of younger Mages took a stance to prepare for battle, but as their eyes fell on the Detective that entered the room, they lowered their fighting stances.</p><p>“King of Hearts and the Red Joker,” Alaude said as he slowly began to applaud the pair for their hard work. The man’s actions often came our sarcastic, almost rude sometimes but that was just the nature of the Mage Detective – affection was read differently by different eyes. He gave them a smile as he leaned against the wall, “You made short work of this Guild. It’s a new record from the last time you two took on the previous Guild.” With a gentle nod, he reached into the pocket of his trench coat to pull out a scroll. He crossed out this Guild’s name, “And this was the last one of Chronos’ King’s list.”</p><p>“That’s it?” Taehyun asked, his brows furrowed as he looked at Alaude, “Why does the list seem so short?” Though Taehyun maintained an air of calmness, the only way he could hide his anxiety was with his cards in his hands; he stuck his hands into his pockets, fingers brushed against the edges of his cards.</p><p>“Alaude, have you talked to Yeonjun recently?” Kai chimed in as his Dragon wings retracted. He let out a soft groan as they disappeared. His eyes turned up at as he looked over to the blonde Detective, “I haven’t seen him since two months ago …I don’t think Beomgyu has even seen Yeonjun since they got back from their vacation either a few months ago.”</p><p>Alaude had let out a soft chuckle as he shook his head – there was an unspoken amusement that came with working with the younger generation, one he hadn’t known he would be fond of. His sharp features had softened within the two months that their organization, ‘<strong>The Shuffle Alliance</strong>’ had been formed but their efficiency exceeded his own assumptions. Their alliance consisted of Taehyun being their King of Hearts, Hueningkai being their Red Joker, Alaude being their Jack of Diamonds and the rest of their members were shuffled through the continent with their own assignments – the young King had given their first assignment to handle the list of lingering Dark Guilds and they made quick work of that list. A gentle expression was painted on him as he looked up at the duo and clarified, “No one in all of Chronos has seen the young King in the past two months.”</p><p>The revelation sent a reverberation of surprise through Taehyun – his eyes widened in disbelief before he looked over at Kai, who had an expression that matched his own. The duo shared a look with one another as they shared a telepathic communication with each other; they both shared their confusion and frustration about Alaude’s confession. It took them a second before they both turned to face the older Mage. Taehyun’s eyes moved away from Kai as he scanned over Alaude’s expression, a failed attempt to search for any sufficient answer. His brows knitted together as he finally asked, “What do you mean no one in Chronos has seen the King in two months?”</p><p>“Exactly what I just said,” Alaude responded dryly, “Two months ago, he gave me the list – which has just been freshly completed by the two of you – and that was the last time that I had interacted with our young King. Last I heard, he was supposed to be on journey to the Hokagosan Empire, but something tells me that he never made it to the neighboring Kingdom.”</p><p>“And you only decided to tell us this <em>now</em>?” Kai’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the older Mage. Shock sputtered into confusion as his eyes frantically bounced around – his thoughts ran through his mind; the questions formed a mile a minute in his head. “How could not tell us something like that, Alaude? Yeonjun might be the King, but he’s also our friend.”</p><p>“There were other pressing matters that I attend to instead of spreading information down the grapevine,” Alaude replied with a cold shrug. He continued with a dull drawl in his voice, I’m surprised that his fiancé hadn’t mentioned it to either of you. You’re all part of the same Guild, correct? I assumed that he would have been the first to share that bit of news to you …or is their break-up also a secret?”</p><p>“They broke up?” Kai asked as the confusion mulled over into sadness. He blinked wildly as he attempted to calm down, but his heart began to hurt for Beomgyu. “What are you talking about? They couldn’t have broken up. I don’t want them to break up,” Kai pouted.</p><p>“Pause,” Taehyun said as he held a hand in front of Alaude. Kai may have been overwhelmed with this sudden rush of emotions, but Taehyun maintained his calm manner as he looked at Alaude, “Next time you have any information like this, especially things that pertain to Yeonjun, you <em>need</em> to let us know, Alaude.” He frowned, “Can you find information on Yeonjun’s whereabouts and what transpired prior to his disappearance?”</p><p>“Of course, King of Hearts,” Alaude said with a slight bow before he admitted, “I suggest you two gather information from the castle as well. We all know that secrets and royalty go hand and in hand, after all.”</p><p>Taehyun nodded in agreement – it was strange how the castle had masked Yeonjun’s disappearance as well. There was no word from them at all. The blonde Mage wondered what kind of chaos could have caused this. He frowned as he looked over to Kai, “We should find Yeonjun before Beomgyu finds out he’s disappeared.”</p><p>“We should make sure Beomgyu is okay though …but it makes sense why he won’t take any new Quests whenever I ask him,” Kai shook his head as he frowned. “I hope he’s okay.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Beomgyu stared at the blue-haired Mage that walked in front of him – it was more of a bouncy skip, if Beomgyu were to describe it. While he had initially been amused, the entertainment left him three hours ago. His eyes sharpened into a glare as he stood his ground before he shouted, “Why didn’t we tell Taehyun or Kai about going with us to the castle?”</p><p>“They’re busy,” Soobin stopped from moving forward. He turned and shouted back at Beomgyu, “I know Taehyun’s supposed to be preparing for his S-Class Rank challenge and Kai’s also getting bumped up from B-Class to A-Class soon. They both need to prepare for their challenges.”</p><p>“Isn’t that supposed to be done in like three months or something?” Beomgyu asked as he sped up to catch Soobin. Like Taehyun and Hueningkai, Beomgyu had been offered the ‘Rank Advancement’ challenges but he hadn’t been in the mindset to do it; he waved the offers and postponed them for later this year …or whenever he thought he was ready to take it. As he caught up to Soobin, he reminded the older Mage, “Yeah! Three months, at least! They have time to go with us to the castle!”</p><p>“Oh, come off it, we’ll be fine without them for a few days,” Soobin grinned when Beomgyu caught up to him. He put an arm around Beomgyu’s shoulders and shook him gently, “It’s like the first time we met. Except this time, we’re going back to the city instead of to the Guild.”</p><p>“Listen,” Beomgyu poked Soobin’s cheek before he rolled his eyes, “I made up with the Sea Cow thanks to Kai. Do not, <em>I repeat</em>, do <strong>not</strong> do anything that will make it attack me again.”</p><p>“You’re never going to let that go, are you?”</p><p>Beomgyu gawked at Soobin with surprise before he pressed his finger deeper into Soobin’s cheek, “I almost got my arm bit off by a ‘<em>non-violent, gentle, herbivore</em>’ creature because of you. Of course, I’m never going to let that go, Soobin.”</p><p>“It’ll be fine,” Soobin’s smile widened as he continued to pull Beomgyu forward with him, “You and I are both stronger than when we first met, remember? We can handle anything that comes our way now. I’d be more scared of us if I were them.”</p><p>“<em>Suuuuure</em>,” Beomgyu drew out the syllable to tease Soobin, but Soobin was right. Both of them were different from the boys that had journeyed from the city to the BH Guild together. Their journey together started off by a chance encounter with a pick-pocket and now, they had a bond that could rival a Celestial one. “Hey,” Beomgyu said as he glanced up at Soobin, “Thanks, by the way.”</p><p>“For what?”</p><p>“You know, taking me to your Guild and all,” Beomgyu said as he looked head. He felt flustered to admit it to the older Mage but gratitude was something he needed to share. It was all because of Soobin, after all. “It’s the reason why all the good things have happened to me,” Beomgyu felt his cheeks flushed as he admitted the truth, but he gave Soobin a genuine smile.</p><p>“We’re friends, Beomgyu. It’s what we do. Besides, you almost didn’t go, remember?” Soobin teased the shorter Mage as he let out a quiet chuckle, “I had to offer you 100% of my Quest reward to get you to go.”</p><p>“I’m glad I decided to trust you, bunny boy. Things turned out better than I expected,” Beomgyu looked down as a gentle smile came to. The smile didn’t last long as realization came to. He turned and hit Soobin’s shoulder, “Hey!”</p><p>“Why are you always so violent for?” Soobin asked as he rubbed his shoulder, “Thank Regulus that you don’t have Kai’s strength. I’d break an arm if you did.”</p><p>“You never actually gave me that reward.”</p><p>“Yes, I did.”</p><p>“No, you didn’t,” Beomgyu explained, “You dragged me through the forest, had me almost be eaten by a Sea Cow and then made me cry in front of the BH Guild. After you had me meet the Guild Master, you we never got to the reward exchange, Soobin!”</p><p>“And I would do it again, ba--,” Soobin stopped as Beomgyu started to chase him. He tried to run as fast as he could, attempting to rush past Beomgyu, “Violence! I call foul for violence! Why are you so violent for, Beomgyu?”</p><p>In the midst of their playful game of chase, the Leo Key illuminated. As the light expanded from the ring, Beomgyu stopped in his place to pull the Key out; he rose his free hand up to shield his eyes from the brilliant light. When the Celestial Key dimmed back to its normal color, Beomgyu and Soobin were greeted with a very familiar figure: the Lion Zodiac Spirit, Leo.</p><p>“Yo, Beomie,” Leo rose a hand in greeting to Beomgyu before he smiled at him. He nodded politely at Soobin, but his attention returned to Beomgyu quickly. There was a sweep of excitement that came to Leo as he asked, “Are you two on a new Quest?”</p><p>“No, we’re not on an official quest,” Beomgyu responded. He folded his arms over his chest as he inspected Leo slowly – <em>why is he here</em>? With a soft tilt of his head to the right, Beomgyu tried to hypothesize an answer to his own question but he decided it would best to just ask the Spirit. “Leo, why are you here?”</p><p>“You’re not happy to see me, Beomie?” Leo teased as he watched Soobin take a stand next to Beomgyu.</p><p>“That’s not it,” Beomgyu shook his head, “Why did you force an entry here?” He leaned in as his gaze went up to Leo, suspicions came to Beomgyu’s mind before he continued to interrogate, “What did you do?”</p><p>Leo laughed as he put his hands up, a simple gesture to simply say, ‘<em>I don’t know’</em>. “It’s not me,” Leo explained as he looked away from Beomgyu. Even behind his signature sunglasses, there’s an expression of weariness in Leo’s eyes. He sighed before he said, “Scorpio and Aquarius broke up and our region of the Celestial Realm is half-waterworld right now. I need a break from being drowned by Aquarius and shot at by Scorpio. It’s a mess.”</p><p>“Oh,” Beomgyu stared at Leo but his attempt to maintain anger was softened by the worry for the rest of the Celestial Spirits, “Should I call them out? One of them so everyone can get a break?”</p><p>“Oh no,” Leo shook his head as he rubbed his temples, “If you called one of them out, you’ll be their target. I’ll go back soon, I just need a break from being the middle man. Being caught between the two of them?” He shuddered at the idea of it.</p><p>Beomgyu turned to Soobin and announced, “Leo’s going to join our journey to the castle, Soobin.”</p><p>Soobin nodded in excited agreement, “The more the merrier.” He beamed and nodded at Leo, “You must have so many stories about Beomgyu. Please share everything with me, I need new ammunition whenever he makes fun of me.”</p><p>“Don’t share anything about me,” Beomgyu interrupted.</p><p>“Oh, but Beomie, I love talking about you!” Leo announced as he slowed his pace to match Soobin. He looked at the blue-haired Mage and nodded, “Where should I begin?”</p><p>“Nowhere!” Beomgyu shouted as he walked between the pair. As he got between them, he attempted to push both of them away, “Stop spreading rumors about me.”</p><p>Leo grinned as he snapped his fingers, “I know what to start with. You know, when Beomgyu was about 12, he confessed to his crush for the first time and …”</p><p>Beomgyu’s expression fell flat as he realized that this was going to be a long journey to the castle.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Get back,” Leo commanded as he stepped in front of Beomgyu. His right arm was held out as he gently pushed Beomgyu behind him. With his left arm, Leo lowered his sunglasses down just slightly – his eyes flickered back and forth, scanned the area in search for an unknown assailant. “How many people know that you’re engaged to the King of Chronos?” Leo asked Beomgyu softly, he remained alert as he looked around the area. Why did the forest have to have too many trees?</p><p>“Ummm …,” Beomgyu didn’t have an answer to the question. Not a numeric answer, at least. When the engagement happened, it was at Yeonjun’s coronation and every person that was present had been made aware of the engagement. The problem was that there had been commonfolk and royalty – news between all of them could spread fast. There was no way to know how many people those people told, or how far the announcement had been sent – for all they knew, everyone all the way the Grand Duchy of Asaryn could have been made aware of it too. Beomgyu shook his head, “I don’t know, Leo.”</p><p>“Is someone after Beomgyu?” Soobin asked as he turned to face behind their group. He shielded Beomgyu from the back, unsure of where the assailant could come from.</p><p>“It wouldn’t be the first time that the fiancé of royalty gets targeted,” Leo warned as his eyes continued to scan the area. The trees impaired them visually, which made tracking them by their Mana all the more important …but something masked these assailants. Leo couldn’t trace their Mana as easily – something was very wrong. “Just be aware,” Leo warned.</p><p>The attack came quick.</p><p>It started from the right side.</p><p>Leo quickly moved both Beomgyu and Soobin to his left side; he spun past them and released a familiar attack. “Regulus Impact,” from the center of his palm, a bright beam of Mana was released, directed at the attackers. Once the attack was released, Leo dashed toward them; he leapt off into the air, ready to connect his fists with the attackers.</p><p>As Leo took off, Soobin’s attention went to the attackers from behind them. A months ago, Soobin would frozen in his spot, unsure of what to do or how to respond to the attack. However, Soobin wasn’t the fearful Mage that he was before. The unknown attackers came toward him, ready to cast their spells but Soobin had gotten faster. He clasped his hands together before he twisted them, a Casting Circle expanded in his hands before he pressed them onto the ground – the Casting Circle expanded from his hands to the ground that the assailants had walked on.</p><p>“Acute Ailment,” Soobin said as the Casting Circle began to glow a pale blue around those who had stepped into its grasp. The pale blue swept around the attackers, enveloped them and caused them to fall to the ground. While the attack had not been aimed to be fatal, it sent a temporary ailment to the attackers that caused them to lose control on their limbs, making them unable to move. He grinned as he turned to Beomgyu with a thumbs up, “Easy, easy.”</p><p>Although Soobin and Leo had quickly taken care of the current wave of attackers, it seemed that there was more headed their way. Beomgyu turned to face the direction they were headed from. “All because I’m engaged to the King?” Beomgyu asked as he took a step back. He quickly reached for his Celestial Keys, ready to pick one to summon but it seemed that it was unnecessary.</p><p>Cards sailed past Beomgyu – it cut through the air and slammed into their attackers. The cards pinned themselves into the attackers before their attacks were activated – some of the assailants were wrapped in vines, others pushed away by tornadoes and the rest were rendered useless, paralyzed by a poison emitted by the cards.</p><p>“Taehyun?” Soobin called out first as he looked toward the source of the cards. There was a brightness in his eyes that came when the younger, blonde Mage came forward. However, Taehyun didn’t greet them right away. Instead, he had a smirk on as he nodded up.</p><p>From the skies, Hueningkai descended – his dark Dragon wings spread wide as he landed in the center of the attackers. The wings drew back as he kicked below, swept his leg to cause the nearby attackers to fall and as he slowly stood up, his wings expanded again to attack the assailants. In just a matter of time, Kai had quickly developed a sense on how to utilize his new favorite ability.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Taehyun finally asked as he reached Soobin. He tried to maintain that sense of cool, calmness that most people knew him for, but he dropped the act and hugged his boyfriend. It was rare to see Taehyun be so openly loving, but Soobin had a way of making people be the best versions of themselves. “Kai and I tried to get here faster, but we were stalled by our own attackers,” Taehyun explained as his arms slid around Soobin, he nuzzled his face against him. Soobin responded by a quick shake of his head and a kiss place atop Taehyun’s head, “Don’t worry about it, Taehyun. I’m just glad you’re here safely.”</p><p>Without intending to, Beomgyu had a gentle smile as he watched Soobin and Taehyun – seeing people in love was a wonderful thing, after all. He decided to let the two have their moment as he headed to check on Hueningkai. Beomgyu ran up to the younger man and applauded him, “You’re seriously so cool, Kai. You already mastered your Dragon wings that fast.”</p><p>As Beomgyu praised Kai, the Dragon wings slowly began to retract; he closed his eyes, winced slightly as the wings returned to their dormant state inside of him. He smiled at Beomgyu, “Dragons are just so cool, Beomgyu.”</p><p>“I know,” Beomgyu grinned as he pat Kai’s shoulder, “You are too, though, Kai. You’re really cool.”</p><p>There was a small pause between them. Beomgyu sought out the words to fill the pause, but Kai’s expression had turned into one of worry – <em>what was he so worried about</em>? Although Beomgyu opened his mouth to ask, the question didn’t come as Kai pulled Beomgyu into a hug. “What’s going on?” Beomgyu asked as he returned the gentle hug to the younger Mage, “Are you okay?”</p><p>“Are <em>you</em>?” Kai asked as he ended the hug, “Why do you always keep what you’re feeling to yourself?”</p><p>The question flustered Beomgyu since he didn’t have a quick response. He shook his head, ready to deny the question but thankfully, Leo returned from where he had ran toward. “Leo,” Beomgyu turned his attention to his Celestial Spirit, “Are you okay? What happened?”</p><p>“These people,” Leo explained as he walked over to the ones closest to Beomgyu and Kai. He squatted down as he reached for them, his fingers pressed against their neck for a few seconds before he shook his head, “Their Mana is different. Not like Yeonjun’s mixed Mana or like Celestial Mana, but like …,” Leo lifted his sunglasses as he inspected the passed out attackers. He shook his head and lowered them again, “They’re not from here. It doesn’t make sense.”</p><p>“From Chronos?” Soobin asked as he and Taehyun joined the group, “They’re from another country?”</p><p>“Not country …,” Leo said as he looked up at them, “Realm. Their Mana doesn’t have traces of this version of the Human Realm. It’s like they don’t have Mana in them, but rather …,” he lifted one of the fallen Mages’ staffs, “It’s in here.”</p><p>“Their Mana is in their weapons?” Beomgyu turned his head up in confusion. This is similar to the weaponized Mana that Allantrez had been trying to use against Chronos. “That’s so weird.”</p><p>“There’s other versions of the Human Realm?” Taehyun asked as he tilted his head to the side, a confused expression crept on but was replaced with a more determined one. “That doesn’t make any sense,” Taehyun’s brows carried his frustration as he asked, “Did they all cross over from another realm?”</p><p>“I didn’t even realize that they crossed over,” Leo shook his head, “If this many people crossed over, we would have known. Aquarius would have called it out even if she and Scorpio are still at war.” He looked over at Beomgyu, “Does the Kingdom have any enemies from other realms?”</p><p>“We should ask Yeonjun,” Beomgyu decided.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“S-sir!”</p><p>This was not the first time that Beomgyu and the rest of their team had arrived at the castle. In fact, Beomgyu had become a frequent visitor to the castle in these recent months. So, the shock that veiled all of the castle’s staff was a surprise for Beomgyu – they looked flustered that Beomgyu showed up, some of them even looked as those they had turned pale at his appearance. That wasn’t a good sign.</p><p>“Can you take me to the King?” Beomgyu decided to ignore how taken aback the castle staff had gotten toward him. Maybe they were bewildered that he had the gall to show up to the Castle after everything transpired. Had Yeonjun already told them …as he let his mind wonder, he could feel the heat rise in his cheeks. He cleared his throat as he repeated with more authority, “Please take us to the King.”</p><p>The castle staff that stood in front of them slowly nodded, as if he was trying to decide what to do. He turned even slower than he nodded as he gestured for them to follow him.</p><p>“It feels weird,” Beomgyu whispered to Soobin, “There’s something wrong.”</p><p>“Like how wrong?” Soobin asked as he walked alongside Beomgyu.</p><p>“The air of the castle feels wrong,” Beomgyu explained as he kept his eyes focused on the staff in front of them. There was a bigger distance between them than usual – when he visited the castle last, the staff had been abundant with energy, all of them excited to chatter with Beomgyu about everything (and giving him all the spoilers about whatever Yeonjun had planned in secret for Beomgyu) and all of them welcomed him like a member of their family. Their genuine nature toward Beomgyu wasn’t something that could have been faked – if the castle’s people couldn’t keep Yeonjun’s surprises hidden from Beomgyu, he doubted they could fake their honesty. The warmth of the castle had gone cold. He frowned, “Is it because he’s still mad at me?”</p><p>“That shouldn’t change their staff’s attitude like this though,” Soobin responded.</p><p>“They do love him though,” Beomgyu said as his eyes scanned the paintings of the different royals were hung along the hallway. There was so much history here, so many great people that walked down these halls and lead the people of Chronos – Yeonjun would be here too, Beomgyu realized, there was no way that he wouldn’t be. He would have a painting done with him and his partner hung at the end of the hallway. They would be the latest addition to Chronos’ line of royalty …<em>would he be in that painting with Yeonjun</em>? This wasn’t the time to wonder about that. Beomgyu shook his head as he turned his attention back to Soobin, “Like you said, we just need to ask him and everything would be answered.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“The King is just beyond the door,” the Castle’s staff member instructed them with a quiet bow. The castle’s staff that led them to the throne room’s doors quickly made haste – he left without so much as another word as if he wanted to disappear from their sight.</p><p>“Weird,” Taehyun said as he put his hand on the door, “That was weird.”</p><p>“Here goes,” Beomgyu said as he tried to pluck the courage to go on. There were multiple reasons to be nervous when entering the throne room. Beomgyu took a deep breath as he put his hand on the other door and nodded at Taehyun. The two of them shared a quick look before they pushed the doors open.</p><p>When they opened the doors, they were greeted by an unfortunately familiar sight. The previous King sat on the throne, flanked by Su-Jin and Edmonds (both of which were in the midst of giving the elder King a piece of their mind it seemed). The trio stopped their conversation to greet the quartet that entered the throne room – their eyes widened, surprised at the sudden entrance of the BH Guild’s young Mages.</p><p>There were many ways to greet royalty. Some people with a courtesy or a bow; others just gave a dignified nod or a simple lowering of their head. Regardless of what they chose, they always had a sense of respect to the members of royalty.</p><p>Beomgyu stepped forward and without hesitation spat his question out, “Where’s Yeonjun?”</p><p>The question caused the trio’s expressions to fall into a flurry of flustered panic as they tried to pass the responsibility off to each other. They trampled over their own words, spoke over each other as they tried to come up with a simple explanation, but nothing came from them. As they argued among themselves, Beomgyu brought himself closer with his Guildmates in tow.</p><p>“Enough,” Beomgyu said as he finally reached them. He stood in front of the throne with his hands placed on his hips. He knew he needed to pay them some level of respect, but their actions were too suspicious, too strange. As he cleared his throat, he looked at them, “I’m going to ask again, just in case you didn’t hear me the first time. Where is Yeonjun and why are <em>you</em> wearing <em>his</em> crown?”</p><p>Yeonjun’s father held his hand out to keep Su-Jin and Edmonds quiet – it seemed he would be the one to explain the situation and Beomgyu hoped he had a good explanation.</p><p>“We have our guards and councils searching for Yeonjun’s whereabouts,” he explained as he looked Beomgyu in the eyes, “I’m sitting here as interim King until his return.”</p><p>“What?” Initially, Beomgyu had never had any issues with Yeonjun’s father – he always thought that the man was a moderate King, almost like a figurehead that didn’t leave any traces of inspiration. However, right now, he could barely bring himself to respect the older man for what he just said.</p><p>“After his scheduled visit with you, he was supposed to be on his way to Hokagosan Empire but we never got confirmation that he had arrived safely,” he continued as his eyes fell away from Beomgyu. He shook his head, a tremble appeared in his pupils as he looked to the ground. “The Royal Guards that accompanied him returned, frantic about the situation and since then, we’ve sent our Royal Guards to find where—</p><p>“That was two months ago,” Beomgyu spat out, “He’s been missing for two months.” Beomgyu blinked the truth into his own understanding as he felt his heart sink; he’d had an assumption about their situation without realizing. Beomgyu looked up at Yeonjun’s father, the confusion was replaced with a shroud of anger as he asked, “If you knew he was missing, why didn’t you tell the Guild? We could have helped you find him. We’ve been working with him so closely.” He took a breath as he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me? I’m his fiancé. Don’t I have the right to know about something this important?”</p><p>“We didn’t want to worry the Kingdom,” Su-Jin joined the conversation, “Unfortunately, the position that he’s in requires the approval and trust of our citizens. If even an ounce of distrust or worry came through the citizens, the amount of unrest that would ramble through our country would tear it to pieces.” Beomgyu rolled his eyes at her explanation – he knew she was telling the truth, but right now, he didn’t feel like being an understanding individual. Su-Jin caught Beomgyu’s eyerolls as she gave him an apologetic bow, “We should have told you right away, Beomgyu. I do apologize for our lack of consideration to you.”</p><p>Beomgyu did not respond. So, Soobin elbowed Beomgyu and answered for him, “He just misses him.” Unfortunately for Beomgyu, Soobin had learned how to translate for him – <em>why did they have to be such good friends for</em>? Soobin looked up at them as he tried to navigate the conversation toward something that could help all of them, “So, you said your guards were looking for him. Did they find any information? It’s been about two months, they should have found something out, right?”</p><p>“About that …,” Yeonjun’s father said before he shook his head.</p><p>Taehyun rolled his eyes at the response as he muttered something about how quickly the Kingdom became useless when Yeonjun disappeared. “I don’t understand why you even bothered to take the interim King position,” He muttered but looked up at Soobin, “Alaude should be here soon. He’ll have information on Yeonjun’s disappearance. That should be more helpful than this.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Beomgyu stood at <em>their</em> balcony – his fingers played with the necklace, the one that held a promise to it.</p><p>“Hm,” he placed his elbows on the railing as he leaned against it. The Celestial Mage let out a huff, a heavy sigh as he looked toward the sky. While Beomgyu had grown adept at hiding what he felt, it was impossible for him to pretend that he wasn’t bothered. A frown tugged at the corners of his lip as he sighed again. The thoughts clouded his mind to the point that he hadn’t even noticed Leo’s sudden materialization beside him.</p><p>“Keep frowning like that and it’s going to stick, Beomie,” Leo said as he stood next to him. He leaned backward, facing the opposite of where Beomgyu had been looking. “I’m not going to ask if you’re okay because we both know you’re not going to say it,” Leo started as he turned to face the same direction as Beomgyu. “But I am going to ask if that if you move into the castle, please tell me you’re not going to walk around wearing a robe like your fiancé’s dad wore.” Leo teased as he elbowed Beomgyu gently, “It looks like a muumuu, Beomie.”</p><p>“I could pull off a muumuu,” Beomgyu replied as he tried not to laugh. He rolled his eyes, “Are Aquarius and Scorpio still fighting?”</p><p>“When I crossed over, they took a break from it,” Leo nodded as he smirked. “I’ll talk to Aquarius when I get back. She needs time to herself to cool off before I can come in and save the day,” he looked over to Beomgyu, “She wanted me to check up on our favorite brat.”</p><p>“Tell Aquarius that her favorite brat is okay.”</p><p>“Just okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, just okay for now,” Beomgyu nodded, “Alaude is supposed to be here with information on where Yeonjun had been taken.” He paused as he said, “I know he’s alive, Leo. He’s tethered to me and I can feel him still, but I just don’t know where he is. I wish we had a way to track him down through our connection.”</p><p>“Well …,” Leo tilted his head toward Beomgyu, “I can’t say there <em>isn’t</em> a way.”</p><p>“Leo, if you’re telling me you have a way to find him, you better help me do it <em>now</em>,” Beomgyu pushed off from the railing. He paced forward and moved in front of Leo as he gave a stern look. “Well?”</p><p>“Technically, he’s got Celestial Mana and if he’s got Celestial Mana …,” Leo tilted his head left and right as he looked at Beomgyu, “It means there’s a door that leads to him.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Leo laughed, “Right, you know how all of the Celestial Keys technically open a door for us Spirits? It unlocks our door and leads us here – those Keys are technically a beacon signal for us. For exactly, when you choose my Key and put Mana into it, it basically lights up a door in my realm that only I can see. That’s how I know which door to take.”</p><p>Beomgyu nodded as he thought over Leo’s explanation. He squinted at the Spirit before he asked, “Wait, so how does your forced entrances to this realm work?”</p><p>“That’s because I’m looking for your Mana trace,” Leo pointed out, “It’s easier now because our bond has gotten so strong that I can just see which door has your Mana’s light. The doors to you always have your scent all over it,” He let out a quiet chuckle as he admitted, “Some of the other Celestial Spirits have a harder time doing it but Aquarius and I can always find which door leads to you, Beomie. The two of us know you the best.”</p><p>The Celestial Realm had always been a topic of fascination in any of the Magic disciplines – the mystery that surrounded that realm had always attracted curious mine. There had been many historians and Mages who had dedicated their lives to solving these mysteries. Beomgyu had been closer to understanding the Celestial Realm than any other Mage who had attempted to unravel it. Surprisingly, all he had to do was ask Leo about it.</p><p>“So …we’re going to the Celestial Realm?” Beomgyu looked up at Leo, “Right?”</p><p>“I swear, your Dragon Slayer is such a hassle sometimes. Why did you have to fall in love with such a troublemaker, Beomie?” Leo muttered before he let out a defeated sigh. He nodded as he said, “I’ll go talk to Aquarius so we can prep having you and your Guildmates cross over. It’s not safe for Humans to be in our realm for long. So, we need to ensure your safety. Can’t have anything happening to my favorite Mage.” He poked Beomgyu’s nose and grinned, “I’ll see you in a few hours.” He paused and then added, “Try not to stay in your head too much, Beomie. That’s more dangerous than the Celestial Realm.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Beomgyu had never been in the King’s strategy room before.</p><p>There were maps spread across the table – locations circled, figures settled with intention and direction, it looked like the start of a game of war that no one but Yeonjun knew the rules of. Beomgyu’s fingers brushed against the edge of the table and then began to trace the handwritten notes and directions spread across the maps. He lifted his hand and smacked Kai and Soobin’s hands – “Don’t move anything,” he scolded as Kai and Soobin, “They’re not toys.”</p><p>Taehyun cleared his throat and nodded his head toward Alaude. The Detective might have had a lot of information to share but the strategy room had so many interesting things around it. It was hard for Beomgyu to focus as he found his name written on the edges of parchment – he didn’t expect to get so flustered over sidenotes jotted down about his favorite or his disliked foods, but it was written by Yeonjun. He chewed his bottom lip as he tried to focus.</p><p>“He’s been kidnapped,” Alaude said flatly.</p><p>“That’s all you’ve found out?” Taehyun’s voice came out exasperated. The frustration within him started to bubble up and it would have continued to heat up into an explosion had Soobin not taken his hand. The older Mage’s touch soothed the anger.</p><p>“How can you say that so calmly?” Beomgyu sputtered out as he looked over the annoyingly calm Detective. He took in a sharp breath as he muttered, “I don’t understand. I’m starting to question the reactions of everyone that lives in Chronos. You’re all far <em>too</em> calm for situations that involve disappearances and kidnapping.” He shook his head as he stood up, his frown had started to become permanent. “So,” Beomgyu folded his arms over his chest, “Who took him? Who took Yeonjun?”</p><p>“Not sure,” Alaude responded with an increasingly, annoying calmness. Despite the annoyed noise that came from Taehyun, Alaude’s attention had focused on Beomgyu. “His disappearance coincides with the string of missing Mages from various Guilds. It hadn’t come to our attention since the Mages that disappeared could be considered lesser in comparison to the strength of our young King, but the trails remain the same,” Alaude continued as he nodded toward Beomgyu, “Your attackers from earlier – it’s not coincidental that they came here. They’re not from this realm and their trail leads to the other missing Mages.” His brows rose as his explanation came on, “We’ve been so heavily focused on protecting ourselves from our enemies in this realm that we’ve never questioned the idea that there are enemies beyond the realm.”</p><p>“So, our enemies are these unknown kidnappers?” Taehyun asked for clarification. His brows furrowed, “The string of missing Mages range from Elementalists to Healers, but this is the first time that a Dragon Slayer had been taken.”</p><p>“It seems that the enemy has certainly caught a big fish, haven’t they?” Alaude said before he looked over at Beomgyu, “I believe that your Celestial Mage might have more information on your mystery kidnappers than I do.”</p><p>“I don’t know who took him or why they would take him,” Beomgyu admitted, “But I did speak to Leo for a little bit and he knows of a way that we can find where he’s at …,” he tilted his head to the side as he pursed his lips, “We need to go through the Celestial Realm.”</p><p>Kai clapped his hands together at end of Beomgyu’s sentence. This was a serious situation, but Kai’s expressions had been covered with excitement; his eyes sparkled with a quiet joy as he looked at his Guildmates. He clapped his hands together as he looked around, “Do you guys smell that? It’s the start of our new adventure.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>It was ironic.</p><p>Yeonjun had been captured by Beomgyu – he couldn’t remember how it happened, just that the Celestial Mage had easily captured him, even his fake heart had been captured by that man. However, despite knowing that he had been captured by Beomgyu entirely, this was not the situation that he had ever expected to happen.</p><p>“Damn it,” Yeonjun’s voice came out into a harsh whisper as he tried to pull his arms loose from the chains that bound him. The attempt to break free was rewarded with the rattle of chains in failure. There was something wrong about this place, something so off that Yeonjun could not figure it out. It should have been easy for the Dragon Slayer to snap his fingers and summon his lightning to break him loose …but try as he might, even the smallest spark refused to appear. There was something wrong about the Mana in this place.</p><p>The initial panic that came with the realization that Mana did not work as normal had subsided – his Mana needed to be maintained, the Casting Circles across him depended on it. However, even with the lack of Mana to power his Dragon Slayer abilities, it was Beomgyu’s Celestial Magic that kept him alive. While the times that Yeonjun had saved Beomgyu had been pronounced and obvious, the times that Beomgyu continued to keep him alive were more countless – this was just another one of those moments to add on to its list.</p><p>Yeonjun’s escape attempts came to a halt as he heard the footsteps of his captor echo through the dungeon.</p><p>It was truly ironic.</p><p>“You look just like him,” Yeonjun tilted his head back as he squinted. His voice came out tired as he forced out a dry laugh. It had been hard to keep track of time or where he was. While there was little hope to have in this situation, he held onto the piece of hope that he had. However, it was ironic that the one person he held as tightly as hope was the face that stared back at him. “But,” Yeonjun continued as he gazed upon the man, even if he tried to look away, he couldn’t stop but admire that face. “You’ll never be <em>my</em> Beomgyu. He’s a better man and Mage than you could ever dream of.”</p><p>“It’s strange,” the doppelganger of his love spoke softly – that tender, hushed tone that Beomgyu often used during their late night talks. There was a familiar smile on the man’s face as he reached over and patted Yeonjun’s cheek, “We’ve turned your Mana into its most usable form and yet, you still continue to live. I don’t understand. The other Mages we’ve taken had dried out in just a matter of days, but you’re still here months later.” He had the audacity to smile in the same way Beomgyu did, “Thank you for being my new favorite Mana source for this realm.”</p><p><em>This realm</em>? – Where was this place? Yeonjun easily figured out that he wasn’t in Chronos, everything felt off about it. He had crossed over a realm once, but he had been sent back by Leo – was this the Celestial Realm? It couldn’t have been. If it was, he was sure that he would have been greeted (or teased, depending on if Leo had been the first to discover him) by Beomgyu’s Spirits already. This was a new mystery, unfortunately.</p><p>“<em>Your</em> Beomgyu,” this other Beomgyu spoke as he smiled up at Yeonjun, “I hope he’s as good of a Celestial Mage as the rumors say. If he is, I know he’ll find a way to this realm and I’m expecting him to bring those Celestial Keys here.”</p><p>“If Beomgyu gets here, you won’t be able to take him,” Yeonjun warned with a smirk, “He’s a Mage that brings miracles without even realizing it.”</p><p>“Oh, I’m hoping that he brings all of the miracles here,” the imitation of Beomgyu spoke, “But even Mages as powerful as you are useless when they’re here. I honestly don’t think <em>your</em> precious Beomgyu can win against me.”</p><p>“I would never bet against <em>my</em> Beomgyu. That’s a losing bet.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Into the New World</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“So, basically, if this fails, we could die.” </p><p>The statement might have been morbid but Beomgyu knew that it was accurate. At this point, the Celestial Mage had started to expect the direst of consequences whenever they started a new adventure. It was important to prepare for the worst, especially in these situations.</p><p>“Why does it always have to be death?” Soobin pouted as he whined, “Why do you always mention dying whenever we do something together?”</p><p>(or; the chapter where they cross over into a new realm and meet some very, <i>very</i> familiar faces.)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi friends, </p><p>Thank you so much for waiting for the new chapter! I appreciate your patience and I hope you all enjoy it. Also, let's give a big old thank you and a round of applause to Candice for putting up with me through this writing process (you da realest!!).</p><p>Anyway, let's get this show on the road! Please enjoy this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, basically, if this fails, we could die.” </p><p>The statement might have been morbid but Beomgyu knew that it was accurate. At this point, the Celestial Mage had started to expect the direst of consequences whenever they started a new adventure. It was important to prepare for the worst, <em>especially</em> in these situations.</p><p>“Why does it always have to be death?” Soobin pouted as he whined, “Why do you always mention dying whenever we do something together?”</p><p>“Isn’t that the usual danger?” Taehyun casually asked as he adjusted his backpack straps. Once he was comfortable, he looked over to Soobin and assured him, “I’m here. You don’t have to worry about dying because I won’t let it happen to you.” He paused and looked over at Beomgyu, “Him, maybe. You?” He gave Soobin a sweet smile, “Never.”</p><p>“<em>Me?</em> <strong>Maybe</strong>?” Beomgyu opened his mouth in faux shock as he stared at Taehyun. With the back of his hand placed against his forehead, he dramatically threw his head back, “I can’t believe you would ever abandon one of your most precious Guildmates like that, Taehyun. How dare you?”</p><p>“You want to know how?” Taehyun asked as the traces of a smirk edged its way onto his expression. “Just like this,” he said calmly as he took Soobin’s hand into his, then led the older Mage away from Beomgyu.</p><p>It would have been easy to continue to tease them, but Beomgyu knew how precious it was to spend time with someone he loved. A soft smile came onto him as he watched the pair walk off hand in hand – there had been an irreplaceable sweetness that came when he saw his friends happy.</p><p>“Beomgyu,” Hueningkai called out as he took a stand next to the Celestial Mage. Beomgyu tilted his head upward to level his vision with the younger Mage. Kai gave him a smile, “We’ll get him back, you know? It’s us. We’ve pulled off some pretty miraculous things together. Going into another realm shouldn’t be too difficult.”</p><p>“I like this enthusiasm, Kai,” Beomgyu nodded, “But you’re right. Something tells me we’re about to pull off another miracle once we cross over.”</p><p>“I’m curious though,” Kai started as he turned to face Beomgyu, “If it’s another realm, do you think there’s other versions of us in there?” He rubbed his chin as the thoughts ran through his mind, “I hope the Kai in that realm is still a nice guy. I’d be really said if he was an awful person.”</p><p>“I don’t think there’s ever going to be a bad Kai,” Beomgyu admitted, “I just hope that the other Beomgyu is happy, you know? I hope he’s just enjoying life.”</p><p>“I guess, we’ll see when we meet them there, huh?”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“Alright, children and my darling, Beomie,” Leo greeted them when he emerged out of his Celestial Door. The Celestial Spirit of the Lion stood in front of the quartet, his eyes scanned them slowly before he took a breath, “When I bring you into the Celestial Realm, please stay as close to me as possible. It’s extremely easy to get lost in there. If you get lost and cross through the wrong door, we might not be able to find you and bring you back. So, don’t go wandering around.”</p><p>Beomgyu nodded along as Leo went over precautionary warnings. Despite being a Celestial Mage, the realm where his power came from and Spirits resided at had been a mystery – the Celestial Realm had been something that was so ingrained into his life and yet, it was something that Beomgyu never explored much. With Leo as his guide and his best friends by his side, Beomgyu was sure that everything would work out. It would only be a little bit longer until Beomgyu can see Yeonjun again and that was worth all the risk.</p><p>“Aquarius will meet us when we cross over,” Leo finished as he looked at Beomgyu. It seemed as though Leo wanted to say something but he pressed his lips together and nodded quietly. While the Celestial Mage’s curiosity was piqued by Leo’s lack of words, he decided to save the interrogation for after – there was no need to stir the worry into everyone before they started this adventure. Instead, Beomgyu gave Leo a gentle smile and a nod of reassurance. That was enough for the Spirit to continue, “Are you guys ready?”</p><p>“Let’s do it,” Hueningkai was the first to respond and that set the enthusiastic tone for their new adventure. Beomgyu hoped that this enthusiasm would last through their entire trip. Everyone grinned and that was the signal they needed.</p><p>“Beomie,” Leo said as he put his hand on Beomgyu’s shoulder, “You need to open my door, but don’t use the incantation to set me back. You just need to open it up.”</p><p>“Okay …,” Beomgyu tilted his head as he reached for the Leo key. The doors to the Celestial World were ones that Beomgyu had opened for his Spirits countless times, but he had never crossed through it before. He smiled as he rubbed his thumb against the stem of the Leo Key as he enhanced it with his Mana. “Does the amount of Mana I put in here keep the door open longer or …?”</p><p>“Just put in a little more than usual,” Leo instructed, “This way, the door will stay open long enough to get you all through.”</p><p>Vague instructions – of course, it <em>would</em> be vague instructions. The problem was that while Beomgyu opened the door for his Spirits regularly, he had never thought about the amount that he put in …so, for him to “<em>put in a little more than usual</em>” was not something that he could quantify. He took a breath and just put in as much as he could. When he was satisfied the charge, he opened the stuck the Leo Key into the air, “The Gate of Leo, unlock!”</p><p>As Beomgyu turned the Key, the bright outline of a door appeared in front of them and Leo stepped in front of them. He clapped his hands together before he opened the door. When the entrance was revealed, Beomgyu couldn’t see anything – the light that beamed from it masked anything beyond the threshold of the door. Like Beomgyu, Kai, Soobin and Taehyun all stepped forward; the quartet tried to peer past the door and see something, but they couldn’t.</p><p>“It’s time,” Leo grinned as he stepped behind the four, “Like I said, Aquarius will catch you guys.”</p><p>“What are you tal—”</p><p>The question couldn’t be finished – Leo pushed the foursome through the door and into the Celestial Realm.</p><p>There was a rush of Mana the moment that they physically crossed through. The wind picked up, sprayed them with this intangible energy, wrapped them in a bizarre string of power as they fell through. There was no ground beneath them, just an endless wave of clouds that surrounded them. Beomgyu wanted to scream but his throat felt so dry, his voice didn’t want to come out. He twisted himself, angled his body to try and find the others. Taehyun had been falling next to him – Beomgyu swam through the air, pushed himself toward Taehyun as he reached a hand out. Once Taehyun grabbed hold of Beomgyu’s hand, the pair reached out for Soobin and Kai. The four of them held onto each other’s hands as they fell into a circle.</p><p>They were falling but there wasn’t a look of fear in their eyes.</p><p>Only trust.</p><p>It was unknown to them where they would land but Beomgyu knew that everything would be alright. With the people he had in his life, everything would always be alright. What a strange but wonderful feeling this was.</p><p>The ground fast approached them, welcomed them with expected collision but before the four of them crashed, a wave of water swirled beneath them – Aquarius was there to greet them, just as Leo had said. The wave slowed their fall and cushioned them.</p><p>“Looks like you made it through, “Aquarius greeted them as the wave of water washed away. Her arms folded over her chest as a gentle smile made its way onto her expression. The mermaid floated over to Beomgyu, eyed him slowly before she pulled him into a hug. “You should have reached out to me, brat,” Aquarius patted the back of his head, “You and I need to get better at asking for help.”</p><p>Beomgyu nodded quietly as he hugged Aquarius, “Thank you.” Sometimes, it was hard to remember that he never had to go through things alone. It took strength to rely on people when he was vulnerable. That was a lesson Beomgyu struggled with. He looked at Aquarius slowly, “You too, though. Leo told me about your many attempts at creating a waterworld.”</p><p>“Leo has a big mouth,” Aquarius rolled her eyes as she let go of Beomgyu. She turned her attention over to Beomgyu’s Guildmates. Her eyes gave them the once-over before she nodded, “Alright, stick close. We have to navigate through the Celestial Realm.” With her index finger, she pointed at each of them, “Don’t be tempted to cross any of the doors without permission. Some of them are very tempting to go through, but if you do, you might be stuck there forever.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The Celestial Realm, at least from what Beomgyu could see, was strange. There wasn’t a solid design, almost as if it was just covered in haze – a maze of hazy clouds, waves of intangible energy. Aquarius and Leo were right to warn them: the temptation to wander through was difficult to ignore.</p><p>“This part of the Celestial Realm,” Aquarius started as she navigated through the haze, “It’s easy to get lost here. All the doors lead to a different realm.” She looked over at Beomgyu, “When you unlock our door with your Keys, it becomes a homing signal for us – it lights the door so bright and that’s why we know which door to take. With your specific Mana, Beomgyu, Leo and I can find you even if you don’t unlock our doors. We can feel your trace. No matter which realm you’re in.”</p><p>“You do love me,” Beomgyu grinned as he sped up to walk beside Aquarius, “I knew you loved me very much.”</p><p>Aquarius rolled her eyes before she turned back. There was no attempt to hide as she counted the quartet to make sure they were all present. When she was satisfied with the number, she nodded toward Beomgyu, “You’re tethered to your Dragon Slayer. You should be able to feel his Mana and find which door you need to go through.”</p><p><em>More vague instructions.</em> Beomgyu stared at Aquarius, frowned at her as he squinted. “I don’t know what that means,” Beomgyu finally admitted, “I know we’re tethered together, but I don’t know what you mean when you say that I should be able to feel his Mana …it’s not like you could really feel Yeonjun’s Mana to begin with.”</p><p>“It’s the power of love,” Hueningkai whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. </p><p>“What?” Kai asked as he felt their eyes fall on him, “Master said that there is a power stronger than Magic and I’m telling you all that it’s love. I’ve been telling you this since forever.”</p><p>“I don’t think it works like that,” Taehyun shook his head, “I mean, I believe in love but I don’t think that’s how it works in this Celestial Realm. I don’t know how anything works in this Celestial Realm.” He frowned – while Taehyun never liked being underprepared, there was little information to research.</p><p>“Actually,” Aquarius interjected as she put a hand on Beomgyu’s shoulder, “It actually works like that. How do you think Leo can find the door to you so quickly?” With a gentle squeeze on his shoulder, she gave him a reassuring look, “Just close your eyes and feel. It sounds stupid, but trust me, close your eyes and think of him. You should be able to find him.”</p><p>Beomgyu took a sharp breath – <em>even more vague instructions</em>. Unfortunately, this set of vague instructions came with anxiousness. <em>What if he couldn’t use the power of love to find Yeonjun</em>? It was stupid, because it obviously wasn’t the power of love that would find Yeonjun but Beomgyu’s skills …He took another breath as he closed his eyes. All he had to do was feel for Yeonjun, right? It should work, right? They were in love and that would always lead them to each other, right? Beomgyu wasn’t as confident as he was a few months ago. He released a deep breath, an attempt to breathe out this rush of anxiety away from him.</p><p>With his eyes shut, it was easy for Beomgyu to eliminate everything and everyone from his mind (though, Aquarius’ threat to keep his Guildmates silent played a bigger role in his focus). In this stillness, Beomgyu could see beyond the physical sight. Every Magical thing in their world is fueled by Mana and while everything has Mana, there were differences in each person’s; Aquarius’ Mana had a different signature than the traces of Soobin’s or Taehyun’s or Kai’s. Even with his eyes closed, he could see his Guildmates’ tattoos – it took a lot of restraint for Beomgyu not to say that Soobin’s Mana felt stupid (it didn’t, but as Soobin’s best friend, Beomgyu was allowed to say that without consequence). He pushed on to focus beyond them – he needed to find Yeonjun. Beomgyu knew him, he <em>loved</em> him; he knew what Yeonjun felt like, what it was like to have him with him …but he missed him so much.</p><p>Beomgyu’s breathing went soft, gentle as he reminded himself of the man he wanted to see so badly. The Celestial Mage let everything else fade away; all of the others’ Mana was no longer in focus and in the quiet darkness of this realm, he felt it. A bright, burn of Mana; the familiar warmth that he had yearned to feel again.</p><p>“He’s there,” Beomgyu announced as he opened his eyes, “Yeonjun’s over there.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“The Aracante Realm, huh?” Leo’s voice caught them by surprise. “Good job, Beomie,” he said as he patted Beomgyu’s shoulder, “I knew you’d be able to find your Dragon Slayer.”</p><p>“What took <em>you</em> so long?” Aquarius glared at her fellow Celestial Spirit, “It should have been quick, Leo.” There was a pause before Aquarius raised a finely drawn eyebrow at Leo. Her lips curled upward into a knowing smile as she scolded him, “Don’t tell me you got distracted in the Beauyonne Realm. We all know your weakness for beautiful people.”</p><p>At Aquarius’s comment, Beomgyu’s eyes scanned over the Spirit of Lion carefully – there was an unspoken thought as he looked over his Celestial Spirit. Then he slowly reached for Leo's hand and pushed it aside, “Yeah, Leo. We <em>all</em> know that you have a weakness for beautiful people. Who were you flirting with in the Beauyonne Realm?”</p><p>Even from behind his sunglasses, everyone could feel Leo roll his eyes. With a gentle chuckle, he cupped Beomgyu’s chin and tilted his Mage’s head upward, “Oh, Beomie. No need to be jealous, you know that I will always love you the most.” There was an easy smirk on his expression before he pulled his hand away from Beomgyu and retreated it into his pocket, “But I wasn’t there for flirting, despite what you think. Not this time, anyway. I needed to get something to help your Guildmates out.”</p><p>“From another realm?” Taehyun’s curiosity was piqued, “Aren’t there consequences from taking something from one realm to another?”</p><p>“Realm hopping differs from time-travel. The consequences aren’t as dire, if we’re being honest,” Leo explained and then laughed, “Time-travel, however, is not something that you want to attempt.”</p><p>“Extended time-travel, at least,” Aquarius corrected as she gave Leo a look that sparked Beomgyu’s curiosity. It was easy to forget that his Celestial Spirits have experienced history that Beomgyu couldn’t even fathom. Aquarius turned to them to say, “Incremental reversals or flash-forwards are more common. Most of the time, you don’t even notice it. Kind of like déjà vu, sometimes. A lot of the time, it feels like a quick itch.”</p><p>“Okay,” Taehyun decided, “After this whole thing is done, I want to know what you two know. You’re speaking of things that aren’t written in any books or scrolls in our world and I want to know it.”</p><p>“Taehyun’s quest of knowledge aside,” Beomgyu pushed everyone aside as he looked over to Leo, “What did you get and why did you need to get it?”</p><p>“Oh right,” Leo said as he procured a small tin from his pocket. “You don’t need this because your Celestial Mana carries over in each realm, but your friends are going to need a little bit of Celestial Mana,” he flicked the tin open with his thumb and showed Beomgyu. There were tiny, iridescent bubbles in the tin, “This will be easier than asking you to do direct Mana transfer.” Leo placed one of the bubbles in Soobin, Taehyun and Kai’s hands with the simple instructions of, “Eat it.”</p><p>“Hey,” Kai finally chimed in as he looked at the door into the Aracante realm, “Is there anything that we should know about this realm? Like, are we going to get eaten by arachnids or something? I really don’t think being eaten by spiders is the way I want to end my adventure, honestly.”</p><p>“This realm is closer to your world than you think,” Aquarius commented as her brows furrowed before she shook her head, “I apologize, I haven’t been in this realm in a long time. I don’t think Leo has been in this realm for awhile either. So, neither of us have much information to give.” She frowned as she cast a look at Beomgyu, “If you get into trouble in this realm, summon us right away, brat.”</p><p>“I always do,” Beomgyu smiled before he hugged Aquarius. He knew he pushed it with the hugs today, but he missed her more than he could say without her getting annoyed. “If you need help, call me too.”</p><p>Aquarius rolled her eyes and nodded toward the door, “Go get your Dragon Slayer and come back safely, brat.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The crossover into the Aracante realm was a lot easier than the travel into the Celestial Realm – there wasn’t a rush of Celestial Mana to greet them as they fell into it. In fact, the first thing that felt familiar was the gravity.</p><p>“Oww,” Beomgyu cried out as he sat up from where he had fallen. He gently reached for the back of his head and rubbed it gently. “Ow,” he whined again as he patted his hands across himself, a quick check to make sure nothing was broken. He closed his eyes tightly as he tried to calm the sudden soreness from spreading. “I’m okay, I’m alive,” Beomgyu sounded as if he wanted to convince himself that he was alright. As he pushed himself off the ground, he tried to scan the area for his Guildmates.</p><p>“No,” a soft whisper came out – Beomgyu’s ears perked up immediately. The voice had been so soft that he wasn’t sure that he heard it correctly. Did his mind play a trick on him? He knew it wasn’t a trick as he heard the voice whisper, “My rutabagas …”</p><p>There was no question on who that voice belonged to – Beomgyu knew it from the moment heard the first syllable. He looked up and nearly cried as he said, “Yeonjun.”</p><p>It <em>was</em> Yeonjun.</p><p>Beomgyu knew he should have held back, but his body moved before his mind could process anything else. He moved forward; his feet carried him right to the man he loved. At this point, nothing could hold him back. Not anymore. He needed to hug Yeonjun, to physically feel him and let him know that they were both here now. He wanted to kiss him. No, he<em> needed</em> to kiss him.</p><p>But as he reached Yeonjun …</p><p>“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Yeonjun apologized as he dropped down to his knees, the dirt brushed against his overalls – Beomgyu wondered if he had ever seen Yeonjun in overalls. As Yeonjun sat on his knees, he placed his hands on his thighs and bowed forward as he apologized, “I apologize for disturbing you, Choi Beomgyu. I am so sorry. Please forgive me, sir.”</p><p>“What?” Beomgyu blinked a few times as he stared at Yeonjun. “Why are you on the ground, Yeonjun? Baby, get up.”</p><p>Yeonjun slowly lifted himself from the ground as he looked up from Beomgyu. His straw hat fell backward as his eyes looked at the Celestial Mage – his eyes widened, almost filled with confused tears as he struggled to keep his gaze on Beomgyu. There was a veil of fearful nervousness as he struggled to keep his gaze; his cheeks were peppered with an embarrassed blush as he bit his lip. Finally, he spoke, “H-how do you know my name, Choi Beomgyu? I—I’m sorry if I did anything to anger you, my Lord.” He swallowed nervously as he offered, “I don’t have much. I just have my small farm, but I can give you everything from my recent harvest. Please, sir. Please forgive me.”</p><p>“Baby, of course, I know your name. You’re my fiancé and I love you.” Beomgyu said as he knelt down to meet Yeonjun. He reached his hand against Yeonjun’s cheek; his thumb brushed the smidge of dirt off Yeonjun’s cheek. The Celestial Mage’s eyes scanned over the fearful expression on Yeonjun as he asked, “I’m not mad at you. I missed you so much.”</p><p>“You’re not Choi Beomgyu, the Lord of Valenville …are you?”</p><p>“Valenville …?” Beomgyu tilted his head to the side, puzzled at the question. He wondered if Yeonjun had amnesia, but as he lowered his hand from Yeonjun’s cheek, “What are you talking about? Are <em>you</em> okay? Did you hit your head or something?” It was impossible for Yeonjun to have forgotten him …amnesia might be the reason, Beomgyu decided. His brows furrowed for a moment, “Did you really forget who I am?”</p><p>“No?” This Yeonjun’s face scrunched into confusion as he tried to figure out what to say. He licked his lips nervously as he tried to explain, “You look exactly like Choi Beomgyu, the Lord of Valenville …but you couldn’t be, because if you were, I’m pretty sure you would have knocked me out and taken whatever gold coins I have …,” he paused and looked up at Beomgyu, “Please don’t take my coins. I really need it to get feed for my cows.”</p><p>Beomgyu blinked as he realized: <em>this was not <strong>his</strong> Yeonjun</em>.</p><p>“I’m not Choi Beomgyu, the Lord of Valenville …,” Beomgyu finally said with a heavy sigh, “I’m Choi Beomgyu, the Celestial Mage of the BH Guild from Chronos.”</p><p>“What’s Chronos?”</p><p>“The Kingdom I’m from,” Beomgyu frowned as he attempted to figure out the simplest explanation he could. He looked at the innocence in the eyes of this Yeonjun before he smiled, “It’s going to sound strange, but I’m not from this realm.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s not strange,” this Yeonjun replied with a softer smile, “Valenville has a portal in its castle that Lord Beomgyu uses to steal things from other realms. He’s what some people call a worldwalker since he can walk between worlds and all,” He paused and looked at Beomgyu, “Did he steal you from another realm? Oh, I reckoned he was a bottle of spoiled milk, but I didn’t think he was thievin’ people.”</p><p>This might not be <em>his</em> Yeonjun, but this Yeonjun was so cute – was every Yeonjun like this? Beomgyu sighed, “He didn’t take me, but I’m pretty sure he might have taken someone very important to me …he might have <em>my</em> Yeonjun.” He blinked a few times before he finally asked, “I’m sorry to impose on you, but do you think you could help me find my Guildmates and lead us to Valenville? I could pay you for it, I promise.”</p><p>“Of course, of course,” this country version of Yeonjun answered with immediate excitement as he jumped up. He dusted himself off as he fixed his straw hat. “I can’t say no to such a pretty smile,” he said as he tipped his straw hat to Beomgyu. With a toothy grin, he held his hand out to Beomgyu, “You can just call me Jjunie and I’ll be your guide.” He let out a happy giggle as he admitted, “This is the most exciting thing to ever happen to me. More excitin’ than the first harvest of the season!”</p><p>Beomgyu smiled – <em>why did all Yeonjuns have to be so cute for?</em></p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p><em>Cows</em> – why did it always have to be cows?</p><p>“Her name is Blue Bell,” Jjunie said as he held the loosely tied rope on the cow beside them. With his freehand, he reached up and gave the animal a soft pat on the head, “She’s going to help out by carrying some of the supplies for us.”</p><p>“Oh,” Beomgyu pressed his lips into a forced smile.</p><p>Jjunie stared at him and looked down, “You don’t like cows?”</p><p>“That’s not it,” Beomgyu let out a gentle smile as he shook his head, “In my realm, we have these things called SeaCows and they’re like cows the size of a whale. I almost got eaten by one …,” he trailed away with a quiet glance away. There were clear differences from this realm and the one that he came from – not <em>just</em> the difference between cows. “She’s cute though, Jjunie,” Beomgyu tried to lift the farmer’s spirit, “Blue Bell is a sweetheart.”</p><p>“My momma named her,” Jjunie said with a smile. There was a moment of silence between them as Jjunie watched Beomgyu cautiously pet Blue Bell. There was a happy giggle from Jjunie before he said, “You’re much nicer than Lord Beomgyu here.”</p><p>Beomgyu let out a snort as he asked, “Why does Lord Beomgyu sound like an awful person?”</p><p>“I’ve only ever seen him once, when I went into Valenville,” Jjunie explained. That happy smile he wore tripped into a frown, “Everyone in Valenville loves him because he keeps his city happy and wealthy, but he does it at the expense of those outside.” He bit his lip before he continued, “A lot of people have been taken because of him …”</p><p>“Taken?” Beomgyu asked curiously. So, Yeonjun wasn’t the first person that they had taken.</p><p>“Mostly people that can use Mana. I heard that he’s been targeting the Hybe Guild because the rumor is that there are still people that can use Mana.”</p><p>Beomgyu tilted his head to the side as he blinked a few times, “Did you say Hybe?”</p><p>Jjunie nodded, “Yeah, the Hybe Guild. I was trying to take you there because I know Hyun can help us out. He’s a cute lil’ fella but when I tell you that guy knows a lot, I mean it. He’s read nearly all of the books in our realm. I’m sure he could help us out some way.”</p><p>The build up of a laugh trickled through Beomgyu as he repeated the name in his head, <em>The Hybe Guild</em>. There was no point in holding back his laughter. The more he repeated it, the funnier it sounded to him. Beomgyu tried to shake the giggles out before he said, “Hybe is such a funny word.”</p><p>“Isn’t that your Guild in your realm?”</p><p>Beomgyu shook his head, “No, it’s not. My Guild is called the BH Guild.” Even now, just the mention of his Guild made him relax. If only he could find the rest of his Guildmates. While he was worried, he knew better than to underestimate his Guildmates; those three were some of the best Mages in their realm and any realm as far as Beomgyu was concerned. “I can’t wait for you to meet them,” he beamed, “I don’t know what the versions of them are in this world, but I think you would love my versions of them.”</p><p>“I like this version of Beomgyu,” Jjunie said, “So, I think I’ll like that version of your friends.”</p><p><em>Cute</em> – that was very cute, and it made Beomgyu smile. There was an innocent sweetness in the way Jjunie spoke, unlike the deliberate intent behind the words that Yeonjun spoke; they looked almost identical, but their differences were so obvious to Beomgyu. He nodded as he said, “You’ve very sweet, Jjunie.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Jjunie received the compliment with such a brightness that it made Beomgyu want to squish his face. There was an innocence in the way his face illuminated that just filled Beomgyu’s heart with so much joy – he was seeing a version of Yeonjun that could have been. The farmer’s grin softened as he quietly asked, “Beomgyu, can I ask what kind of person your version of me is? I hope he’s a good person.”</p><p>“He is. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met,” Beomgyu started as a solemn smile came onto him. It was a fact that he missed Yeonjun, but he hadn’t realized how <em>much</em> he had missed him until he started to talk about him. “In my realm, he’s actually the King – the youngest King of Chronos,” Beomgyu continued, “But don’t let that fool you. He actually hates the title. Not because he hates his kingdom – he loves Chronos, but not as much as he loves me, and I can say that because I know it – but he thinks people get a title and become complacent. He’s the type who would take charge and do it himself than wait for others.” As Beomgyu continued, he realized there was an admiration in Jjunie’s expression, and he couldn’t blame the farmer.  The King did have a flair to him that was hard not to admire.</p><p>“Gee,” was all that Jjunie managed to say and Beomgyu wondered if he had spoke <em>too</em> much. The Celestial Mage glanced over to the farmer, curious to what the man’s thoughts were. There was an obvious frustration displayed in his furrowed brows, but Beomgyu hadn’t thought it was his place to bring it up; while he looked identical to Yeonjun, the farmer was so different from his King. “He sounds like something amazing,” Jjunie finally beamed as he met Beomgyu’s gaze, “Not only is he a King but he’s also engaged to someone as kind and beautiful as you? What a lucky fella.”</p><p>Well, engaged as far as Beomgyu knew.</p><p>“Yeah, you’re right,” Beomgyu agreed, “He really is lucky. King or not, Yeonjun doesn’t even know how lucky he is to have me.” Though he said, Beomgyu didn’t believe it; Yeonjun knew, and he always made sure that Beomgyu knew that he knew as well.</p><p>The Celestial Mage pressed his lips into a gentle smile. It seemed that the worry that had started to form in Beomgyu’s mind didn’t have to linger for long. There was a bright optimism in the farmer’s toothy smile that it made Beomgyu hope that everything would be okay. As Beomgyu quietly strung the words together, someone beyond Jjunie caught his sight – his brows knitted together, furrowed as he peered to the right and tried to focus his vision just beyond the taller man. With a forced squint, he narrowed his eyes and as they settled into the view, it was obvious: he knew that person.</p><p>“Sorry, Jjunie. I think we just ran into one of my Guildmates,” Beomgyu said as he stepped past him. He raised his hand in the air and waved over to the figure as he called out, “Hueningkai! Kai! You’re okay! It’s Beomgyu! I’m over here! You won’t believe who I ra—”</p><p>While Beomgyu had been thrilled to see a familiar face, the farmer next to him had not been – Jjunie grabbed his wrist and pulled it down. He tugged Beomgyu behind Blue Bell as the look of panic continued to make itself permanent on his expression, “What the heck do you reckon you’re doing, Beomgyu? Are you crazy?”</p><p>“Crazy? How am I crazy?” Beomgyu asked as he pulled his arm away. He rubbed his wrists gently as he glared at the man, “What do <em>you</em> think you’re doing? That’s my Guildmate. His name’s Hueningkai. He’s one of the people that I’m looking for.”</p><p>“Hueni—no,” Jjunie shook his head as he palmed for Blue Bell’s leash. He tightened his grip on it as he looked over to Beomgyu, “That’s Hunter Kai.”</p><p>“Hunter …Kai?”</p><p>“He works for Lord Beomgyu,” Jjunie whispered as he gently tugged on the leash. It was a failed attempt to navigate the cow away from the main road; a stubborn cow will not budge, after all. He sighed before he turned to Beomgyu and with the most pleading expression, he asked, “Can we please go? If he gets to us, he’ll find the Hybe Guild and destroy them …he doesn’t know where they’re hidden, but I do.”</p><p>Beomgyu blinked a few times – this need to hide, to run away was not something that he had been accustomed to. Yeonjun, the Guild, even he, himself, had never been people to run away in the face of an adversary. Although things in this realm seemed the same, there were obvious differences.</p><p>“Jjunie, I don’t think that’s whoever you just said it was. That’s literally my Guildmate, Hueningkai. Not <em>Hunter Kai</em>, or whatever his name is,” Beomgyu insisted as he pulled himself away from their hidden position.</p><p>Though Beomgyu insisted this, when he looked over to the figure, uncertainty began to creep over him. With a quick glance, anyone would have assumed it was the angelic and loving Hueningkai. The man was identical to him, but wasn’t that the case with the versions of them in this realm? He squinted, an attempt to clear his vision as he tried to fully see the man who now approached them. It <em>was</em> Kai, in a sense, but since when did Kai wear that much leather? And when did Kai have an eyepatch? And when did Kai wield a sword? And since when has Kai ever run up at him like that …</p><p>“Jjunie,” Beomgyu’s fingers reached for his Celestial Keys. His fingers fumbled around as they tightened around his most used key, “Jjunie, get Blue Bell off the main road and stay hidden. I’ll take care of this Hunter Kai.”</p><p>It was a fact that Beomgyu had not gone on a new quest in the past few months. However, he hadn’t wasted that time. With the flick of his wrist, he channeled his Celestial Mana into the Leo Key – a swirl of light emitted from the center of his palm before he wrapped his fingers around the key. He whispered a soft incantation before he let out the single command, “Release the Leo Sword.”</p><p>There was a gasp of surprise that came from behind him. Beomgyu had gotten used to the stale reactions from his friends – they had seen him tap into his Celestial Armory and materialize the weapons so many times that he’d forgotten how amazing this feat actually was. He gave Jjunie a quick glance and nod before he turned his attention back to the new attacker. There was a bitterness that came with engaging into battle with people who wore the faces of those that he loved, but it was something that needed to be done.</p><p>Hunter Kai, or whatever he went by in this world, had full intentions with the way he moved. It was the way he rushed forward with his blade aimed directly at Beomgyu that was warning enough. Beomgyu’s fingers gripped the hilt of his blade as the man neared him.</p><p>“I didn’t think I’d find you this quickly,” the Hunter spoke and Beomgyu decided that the angelic face of Hueningkai should never be twisted with a darkness like this. There was a sinister smile that should not have found its way into that innocent man’s face. “But then again, I doubted you’d be as clever as the Lord Beomgyu in this world.”</p><p>As the opponent’s blade slashed forward, Beomgyu lifted the Leo Blade to block it – he strained against Kai’s strength. Even in this world, their youngest hadn’t understood how much physically stronger he was. This wasn’t an unfamiliar situation. The Hunted pushed forward, another step forward and as Beomgyu took the step back, he shifted his weight to the right and pushed his sword downward. The sudden move caught the Hunter by surprise – his grip on his weapon slipped as he tried to regain his balance.</p><p>That was the opening that Beomgyu needed.</p><p>The Celestial Mage edged behind the faux-Kai as he kicked the back of his leg, forcing him down. As Beomgyu lifted the Leo Sword, the Hunter swung his sword to block the attack. Beomgyu let out a quick yelp as he was caught by the sweep of this Kai’s leg – it toppled Beomgyu over, his back hit the ground. Immediately, he scrambled to reach for the Leo Sword – the blade returned to his hand as this Kai’s sword almost slashed at him. Kai pushed down, forcing the blades to clash as he tried to slice through but Beomgyu wasn’t going to lose. With Kai hovered above him, Beomgyu knew he would be worn down – the difference in their strength was too great. The Celestial Mage forced his leg up, kicked the Hunter away and off of him.</p><p>There needed to be distance. He needed to make distance.</p><p>As Beomgyu took a step back, this pseudo-Kai came forward. Their blades clashed – the Leo Blade in Beomgyu’s hands defended him from the sharpened edge of this Kai’s weapon. Although they had been crossed in this battle, Beomgyu couldn’t feel a single ounce of Mana from the attacker…but if this Kai had no Magical abilities, couldn’t Beomgyu tilt the scale into his favor? As these thoughts started to cloud his mind, he fell into a disadvantage – Magic wasn’t the norm in this world, but that meant that this Kai was trained in physical battles.</p><p>Beomgyu pushed his blade forward with as much of his strength as he could. As the distance between them pushed forward, Beomgyu kicked his right leg forward - he kicked the man backward and as this Kai toppled backward, Beomgyu swept his blade across but the slash did not connect. This Kai was quick to defend and protect from whatever attack Beomgyu had done. With his attack blocked, Beomgyu shifted and pulled his blade back, ready to attack again. He lifted his blade and swung it down, brought it down with as much of his strength into as he could and as it came down, this Kai side-stepped away, moved himself aside and circled Beomgyu.</p><p>"Is this really the strength of a Celestial Mage?" This Kai teased before he let out a laugh. Beomgyu decided that Hueningkai's laugh should never be used for anything outside of happy laughter. As he let out that laugh, he shifted his sword only into his right hand; he flipped the sword in hand as his left hand reached into his pocket. From his pocket, he drew out a curious crystal. "Lord Beomgyu was right," this Kai grinned, "There's no point in playing nice with you worldwalkers."</p><p>In order to space himself for defense, Beomgyu stepped back and held the sword in front of him. He wasn't sure where Jjunie and Blue Bell had gone, but he hoped that the two of them had gotten to safety. "Lord Beomgyu sounds annoying," Beomgyu grinned as he waited for what the man would do with the crystal and as he watched the crystal get attached to the blade, Beomgyu felt it.</p><p>From the center of the crystal, Beomgyu felt a familiar spark – it was warm, one that Beomgyu hadn’t felt in what like forever. It felt like home: Yeonjun. He took a step back as he demanded, “Where did you get that crystal?”</p><p>“We took a Mage from your realm,” the Hunter spoke with a malicious grin (again, Beomgyu decided these expressions should never be on Hueningkai’s face) as his sword began to light up. The familiar lightning echoed through the sharpness of the blade; the lightning spread across the sword as the Hunter aimed the tip of the weapon at Beomgyu. “He’s proven himself to be much tougher than some of the others that we had taken,” his grin transformed into a menacing one as he rose his eyebrows at Beomgyu. “I honestly thought that he was going to die a couple months ago, but every time we drain him, there’s this weird power that keeps protecting him. A weird protection that he claims is from someone.”</p><p>It was Beomgyu – he knew that it came from when he tethered Yeonjun to him. His Celestial Mana would always protect Yeonjun, in the same manner that Yeonjun’s Dragon Slayer Mana protected Beomgyu from the lightning.</p><p>“Shut up,” Beomgyu growled.</p><p>That was Yeonjun’s lightning – Beomgyu could tell Yeonjun’s lightning from a mile away. Most people have called him crazy for it, but the Celestial Mage knew what Yeonjun’s lightning felt like; he always swore that it had a different warmth to it, a stronger scent of his Mana stamped into its sparks. He tried to explain it to Soobin once, but it was hard to clearly explain his connection to the Dragon Slayer to everyone else.</p><p>His fingers wrapped around the hilt of the Leo Sword as he glared at the Hunter, “Where the hell is he? Where the hell is Yeonjun?”</p><p>“Looks like you’ll never know,” the Hunter grinned as he rushed toward Beomgyu. As he drew near, he rose his blade in the air. The closer that he got, he slashed the weapon downward as he aimed to hit Beomgyu.</p><p>A few months ago, a rushed attack like this would have gotten the better of Beomgyu. In fact, something like this could have easily taken him out …but that was a few months ago.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“If we were in an actual battlefield, you’d be in the Celestial realm,” Yeonjun warned from behind the tip of his blade. “You got too comfortable, baby.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t say baby when you literally have a <strong>sword</strong> aimed at my throat,” Beomgyu frowned as he peered up from behind the blade. He was supposed to get back up, but he decided against it. The Celestial Mage threw himself backward and made himself comfortable in the grass. His eyes were shut but he could feel Yeonjun watching over him. “How are you so good at this? You don’t even use weapons in battle,” Beomgyu opened his eyes as he forced himself off the ground.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yeonjun reached over to pick up Beomgyu’s fallen sword. He put both of the weapons into their sheaths before he answered, “I was raised to be a King and unfortunately, a King needs to know how to wield every weapon given to him.” He turned to face Beomgyu, “Although, you know me, I’m more of a lover.” It was the way his eyes lingered on Beomgyu that caused the temperature to pepper the younger Mage’s cheeks with soft shades of pink. He knew, but it was the confident intention behind the way that Yeonjun said these things so casually that always made Beomgyu’s heart race.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You’re infuriating, sometimes,” Beomgyu muttered as he bit the inside of his cheek.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yeonjun chuckled, “You’re the one who wanted to spar during our vacation. I’m just accommodating.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I need to get better,” Beomgyu explained, “I want to be able to wield all of the Celestial Armor without any issues. I know you love saving me, but I don’t want to keep stealing your focus away during battle.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I don’t mind it. I’m always looking for you anyway,” Yeonjun shrugged as he walked in front of him. He smiled, “But, a few pointers, when you aim a blade at anyone, you need to be confident. You swung your blade at me, but you had no intention behind the swing – I get it, I get it because you don’t want to hurt my pretty face,” – Beomgyu shoved him playfully at the comment but Yeonjun continued. – “But if you don’t have intent behind your attacks, it doesn’t matter what they are, they won’t connect but also, just because you’re using a weapon, doesn’t mean you can’t use Magic.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was so stupidly simple and Beomgyu hated that he hadn’t thought of it. His bottom lip jutted out as he frowned – there were so many thoughts that muddied his mind, so many things that he should have done to have beaten Yeonjun in battle. He let out a heavy sigh as he replayed their scrimmage in his mind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It’s the warmth of Yeonjun’s hand against his cheek that snapped him out of the spiral in his mind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Just trust yourself,” Yeonjun smiled at him, “Because I always trust you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Beomgyu placed his hand on Yeonjun’s hand as he tried to hold his smile in. He rolled his eyes as he bit the inside of his cheek, “Why are you like this?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Charming? Irresistible?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Full of yourself,” Beomgyu decided before he shook his head at Yeonjun. Gently, he moved Yeonjun’s hand from his cheek and held it in his. He sighed, content at where he was. “But I wouldn’t have you any other way. Besides, someone needs to be here to humble the young King of Chronos.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I hope I can find that person,” Yeonjun teased, which received a very well-deserved smack from Beomgyu. An easy smile came to him as he corrected, “I already have that person.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You know,” Beomgyu pointed out, “If you’re going to keep looking at me like that, you might as well kiss me. I know I’m hard to resist, but you’re taking too long, Yeonjun.” Beomgyu rolled his eyes, “How much longer do I have to wa—”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yeonjun’s lips silenced the rest of Beomgyu’s words. Whatever thoughts that Beomgyu had disappeared, just washed away as he allowed himself to be consumed by the need for each other.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There were many reasons why Beomgyu fell in love but the intensity in the way that Yeonjun wanted him was one of the biggest factors. He had never been shy about making sure that Beomgyu knew how much he wanted him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Come on,” Yeonjun said as he pulled away. He reached for Beomgyu’s hand and started to pull him away, “We’re in Altimira, a resort island and you have us sparring on a cliff outside of town. It’s about time I see you frolicking by the beach, Beomgyu.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Frolicking by the beach?” Beomgyu snorted, “Okay, old man.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Old man?” Yeonjun grinned, “Oh, you’re going to want this old man once we get to the beach.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Please don’t ever say that again,” Beomgyu laughed as he doubled his pace, so he walked beside Yeonjun. He leaned against him, “I’m always going to want you. I love you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I love you too.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Just because he had a weapon in his hands didn’t mean he couldn’t use Magic.</p><p>The Hunter’s blade was aimed at him – his intention was obvious but now, it was Beomgyu’s turn to show his intention and right now, he wanted to find his Yeonjun.</p><p>When the sword’s edge slashed downward, Beomgyu released his Celestial Mana into the base of the Leo Sword. The bright transfer for Celestial Mana caused the Leo Blade to be illuminated, it burnt into a brightness that caused the Hunter to withdraw from the assault. The brightness from the Leo Sword mimicked the radiance from Leo’s Regulus attack and as Beomgyu shoved the blade forward, the impact drew from the Spirit’s strength. It pushed this Kai backward.</p><p>As he doubled back, Beomgyu ran forward; he ran into the man, hitting him with shoulder blade. At the sudden attack, the edge of Beomgyu's sword scraped against the Hunter's weapon - the clash of metal against metal caused a friction of sparks to spew forward. Beomgyu ran the Leo Blade until he got to the end of the Hunter's weapon - when the tips of the blades collided, Beomgyu forced this Kai's weapon to move along with his until he let go of the blade. The Celestial Mage immediately grabbed the fallen weapon.</p><p>"I'm asking you kindly," Beomgyu's eyes sharpened as he crossed both of the blades in front of the Hunter's throat. He stepped forward as he glared at him, "Where is Yeonjun? Answer me!"</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry about this," Beomgyu said with a pout as he reached over to pet Blue Bell. He brushed his fingers against her face. "I really appreciate you for letting us do this, Blue Bell. I appreciate you so much," he pressed a kiss on the top of Blue Bell's head, "I'll make this up to you somehow, I promise."</p><p>The Celestial Mage turned back to cast a glance at the Hunter - the eye-patched attacker had been tied down and strapped to the back of Blue Bell. Every time this Kai struggled to break loose, the ropes tightened its grip - Jjunie's vast knowledge of rope work had been one cultivated over his years as he worked through the fields.</p><p>"You may have captured me, but Lord Beomgyu will not be stopped."</p><p>"Again," Beomgyu shook his head, "Lord Beomgyu sounds so annoying. Actually, it might just be the title of Lord." He shook his head and frowned as he turned to Jjunie, "I think Lord just sounds so pretentious."</p><p>Jjunie blinked at Beomgyu and shook a smile into his face as he said, "I can't believe you caught Hunter Kai this fast. He's taken down so many members of the Hybe by himself and you just ...golly." He let out a sigh of admiration as he looked at Beomgyu, "You are just so miraculous. I can't believe it."</p><p>"Surprisingly, I'm not even the strongest member of the BH Guild," Beomgyu admitted with a quick shrug, "Some of my Guildmates are even stronger than me. I mean, Yeonjun is so strong. I've seen him destroy Dark Guilds on his own, I've even seen him take down Dragons ...I wonder how he got caught by the pretentious Lord Beomgyu."</p><p>"He probably got tricked," Jjunie pointed out, "He might have thought it was you and let his guard down."</p><p>Beomgyu's face scrunched at the thought. Not because it was far fetched, but because he knew that was exactly what would have happened. It wasn't difficult to realize that he had always been Yeonjun's biggest weakness - love really did make fools out of great people, didn't it?</p><p>Beomgyu turned to face the Hunter, “So, you’re going to help us out, aren’t you? Because if you’re not, everyone in this realm is going to see you being carried around by our lovely, lovely Blue Bell here. I don’t think that’s going to be good for your reputation, now is it?”</p><p>“I don’t care,” this Kai commented with a shrug, “The people here would rather turn a blind eye than cross me or Lord Beomgyu.” He looked smugly at the two of them, “So, go ahead. Try whateve—”</p><p>Jjunie began to wrap a piece of cloth around Kai’s eyes. He tightened the cloth as he looked over to Beomgyu. In a soft whisper, he warned, “We can’t have him find where the Hybe Guild is. If he finds it, we’ll be in trouble.”</p><p>Beomgyu nodded slowly as he stood up on tip-toes. He reached over and gave this Kai a pet, “You’re going to be our hostage now, Evil Kai. Unless you start talking, we’re going to take you around with us while we find the rest of my Guildmates. I think talking would be easier.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“Why is it always like this?”</p><p>Taehyun pressed his back against the trunk of the tree as he closed his eyes as he counted the seconds. How did they always end up separated during situations like this? Why couldn’t anything be easy for them? He let out a heavy sigh as he forced himself off the tree. Without a second thought, Taehyun reached for the deck of cards in his pocket as he stepped out from behind the tree trunk.</p><p>“Found him,” one of his pursuits called out as they circled the Mage. “Taehyun of the Hybe Guild, we’ll be taking you to Lord Beomgyu now.”</p><p>“Lord Beomgyu?” Taehyun snorted at the way these people said Lord Beomgyu. He heard the mention of the Hybe Guild and knew that was what he needed to find, but the mention of Lord Beomgyu had him snickering. He shook his head before he raised an eyebrow, “Tell Lord Beomgyu to stuff it.”</p><p>Taehyun drew a card from his deck. He charged it with his Mana before he sent it flying toward his targets – the cards sailed through the air, fluttered through and as it neared the attackers, it multiplied. The creation of multiple cards took his assailants by surprise; their shock lasted for a second before the cards were embedded in them and their final breaths were taken right before the cards exploded. There were prettier ways to defend against these attackers, but right now, Taehyun knew that he didn’t have time for these minor people. He needed to find the rest of his team.</p><p>“You really want to be next?” Taehyun turned to face the rest of them, glared at them as he took a step forward. He shuffled the cards in his hand as he grinned, “Come on, pick a card. Any card.”</p><p>Intimidation was a technique that Taehyun had easily excelled at.</p><p>The attackers withdrew from their attack. They retreated from their attempt to attack and separated.</p><p>“Jeeze,” Taehyun kept his cards in his hands as he watched them. There was so much about this realm that he didn’t understand – this unpreparedness was not the way Taehyun liked to approach things, especially when they were supposed to be in the middle of a rescue mission. He frowned; brows knitted as he waited for the assailants to disappear in the distance. The tension in his shoulders relaxed, “Damn it. Where did they go?”</p><p>“Oh,” there was a gasp that came from the corner. As Taehyun turned around, he watched a woven basket of treats fall on the ground – rolls of muffins spilled out from the basket, littered the ground with crumbs and broken chunks. “A worldwalker,” he heard the person whisper.</p><p>As Taehyun’s eyes moved up, he opened wide. The attackers weren’t a surprise to him, but the person who dropped the basket was. His eyes searched the man in front of him, he was stunned as he looked at the mirror image of himself.</p><p>“Are you …Taehyun?”</p><p>The identical man nodded slowly before he smiled and waved, “Hi.”</p><p>There was a soft awkwardness that began to build up between them. Although Taehyun was unsure of the consequences of any interactions with this version of himself, he didn’t know this world well enough to navigate through it alone. He cleared his throat as he placed his cards back into his pocket, “You call me worldwalker.”</p><p>“Because you are one,” this other version of himself said as he reached down to pick up the fallen basket. He frowned as he looked at the now soiled baked goods. “Worldwalkers are people who travel between different realms,” he looked up at Taehyun, “Why are you in this place, worldwalker?”</p><p>“We’re trying to rescue someone.”</p><p>“From what?”</p><p>“From Lord Beomgyu.”</p><p>While the attackers who had been after him previously spoke that name with such respect and admiration, this version of himself looked back with fear. “You don’t want to mess with Lord Beomgyu,” was the warning, “He’ll have you killed.”</p><p>“I can take Lord Beomgyu,” Taehyun announced, “He won’t be able to beat me.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>End of the Chapter.</strong>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“And now, for a completely unrelated segment,” Leo grinned as he clapped his hands together. He sat behind an overly ornate mahogany desk. With a wide grin from behind his sunglasses, he nodded, “Let’s welcome my favorite person, Choi Beomgyu.”</p><p>“Leo,” Beomgyu stared as he slowly took a seat on the cushioned sofa next to Leo’s desk. The Celestial Mage didn’t hide his confusion as to why Leo had a talk show set-up. He blinked a few times as he stared at his Spirit, “I wanted to be surprised, but it’s you and this seems normal for you.”</p><p>“You’re right,” Leo nodded toward Beomgyu, “I was voted for this segment, so we’re running through with it.”</p><p>“Why would they vote for you?” Beomgyu rolled his eyes.</p><p>“I’m actually much more popular than you give me credit for, Beomie,” Leo sighed before he continued, “This is the first segment of my very sporadic talk show.”</p><p>“I can’t believe they let you have a talk show.”</p><p>“Beomie, I have a question,” Leo pointed Beomgyu, “What’s your favorite thing about me?”</p><p>Beomgyu stared at him. He frowned as he attempted to figure out how to answer Leo’s question without feeding the Spirit’s ego. “Your loyalty to the people that you love,” Beomgyu finally said, “It’s difficult for people to be li—stop making that face. I’m not going to compliment you anymore, Leo.”</p><p>“Why not? You always compliment Yeonjun without holding back. You can compliment me like that too,” Leo whined.</p><p>“No,” Beomgyu shook his head, “I refuse.”</p><p>“Fine,” Leo frowned, “But on a more serious note, can you give a spoiler about what will happen on this adventure next week, Beomie?”</p><p>“Well, we finally make it into the Hybe Guild and we get closer to saving Yeonjun. I really hope we get him home soon, I miss him very much,” Beomgyu shared and continued, “We’ll finally meet Lord Beomgyu and find out what he actually aims to do.” He rolled his eyes at that mention, “I really hope I don’t become that deranged.”</p><p>“We’ll have to find out next time, won’t we?”</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Welcome to the end of the chapter!</p><p>As always, thank you so much for reading and making it to the end. I appreciate the time you gave to this and I hope you enjoyed it. It's turning into a fun new adventure, I think. My favorite part about writing for this particular universe is the amount of things can happen - it's so much fun to come up with things!</p><p>Since my writing schedule for this fic is different from last time, please do follow my twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/nine3rds">@ nine3rds</a>) to participate in my posted polls! I often post polls which affect things from minor scenes to entire plotlines! </p><p>Once again, thank you so much! See you in the next chapters!<br/>Appreciate ya and love ya so much!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Into the New Plan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Beomgyu nodded. He normally had something to add to plans but there was nervousness in the pit of his stomach that made him feel sick. He bit his lip and let Taehyun take charge. The layout of the plan seemed easy enough and it <i>should</i> be easy enough …<br/><br/>(or; the chapter where mistaken identities put the right people in the wrong places and plans are made for a jailbreak. let's just hope they <i>actually</i> get through with it.)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi friends,</p>
<p>it took a while to get here but here's the next installment of dybim: 1000 year quest! </p>
<p>thank you all for being so patient with me! </p>
<p>please enjoy the new part of our adventure!</p>
<p>love ya ~ enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After the encounter with the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hunter</span>
  </em>
  <span> version of Hueningkai, the rest of the journey to the HYBE Guild had gone seemingly well. Although Farmer Jjunie had been a very pleasant person to travel with, there were heavy lapses in Beomgyu’s focus; his mind wandered over to the questions that remained hidden in the crevices of his mind, questions he knew wouldn’t have their answers revealed until he found </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> again. He was thankful that Jjunie had been kind enough to be a patient travel partner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um,” Jjunie’s voice broke Beomgyu’s anxious concentration. The farmer matched Beomgyu’s pace as he looked over at him. The growing blush on his cheeks gave away his obvious nervousness. He cleared his throat before he asked, “Beomgyu, are you doing okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu blinked away the creased frustration in his expression. He shook his head lightly as he pressed a sweet smile on before he answered, “Sorry, I’ve just had a lot of things to think about recently. I was going through something kind of ...</span>
  <em>
    <span>personal</span>
  </em>
  <span> before we crossed over here. I thought that I was doing a better job at hiding it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You shouldn’t have to hide it,” Jjunie nudged him gently as he gave him a smile. “My ma’ always says that holding something eats you up inside until it starts to rot your heart. You shouldn’t hold it in. It’s best to let it out.” There was a blissful innocence to the farmer that brought a sense of calm to Beomgyu. While farmer Jjunie might not be </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>Yeonjun, that smile brought an easy sense of peace to the Celestial Mage.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your mom’s a smart lady,” Beomgyu replied, “A lot of people have been telling me that lately, but I always seem to forget ...I’m just so used to keeping to myself. I hate being a burden to anyone else.” He sighed as he looked over to the taller man, “It’s just everything that’s been happening lately ...it’s like I’ve been cursed with something unlucky.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know what,” Jjunie continued as he turned to face Bluebell. The cow groaned as he gently plucked a flower from the crown that rested on her head (Beomgyu swore she groaned in annoyance, but he wasn’t fluent in cow). He held a small, lovely pink flower in front of Beomgyu before he carefully tucked it behind his ear, “It’s Bluebell’s favorite flower. We pick it every time we see it and it always brings us good luck. So, we’re going to let you borrow some of our luck, Beomgyu.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Every version of Yeonjun knew how to put Beomgyu at ease.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, Jjunie,” Beomgyu smiled at him, “I met you here. I think my luck’s been changing for the better.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What kind of bad luck is this? Why does there have to be two of you?” Beomgyu frowned as he pointed at Taehyun ...at least, he pointed at </span>
  <em>
    <span>a</span>
  </em>
  <span> Taehyun. There were two Taehyuns in front of him and if Beomgyu were asked, that was one Taehyun </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> many. He brought a hand to his forehead and slowly massaged it as he wondered why this new world was so cruel to him. Beomgyu sighed as he finally asked, “Why are there two of you here, </span>
  <em>
    <span>together</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because, unlike your version here, my version isn’t an evil Lord,” the closest Taehyun explained to him. He had that scowl that Beomgyu had become very familiar with. At least, he knew that this was the Taehyun from his world. “Looks like you’ve met this world’s Yeonjun and Huen--why is he blindfolded and on a cow?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He tried to kill me and this was the best way to stop him from trying anything else,” Beomgyu replied as his shoulders rose and fell casually, “He works for this world’s version of me, the infamous Lord Beomgyu.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lord Beomgyu?” Taehyun snorted and tried to hold back his laughter. He bit his bottom lip in an attempt to keep everything together, but ultimately, he couldn’t hold back those silly giggles. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Lord</span>
  </em>
  <span> Beomgyu, that sounds so pretentious. I’m glad you have no title in our world.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me, I would be a great Lord. Thank you very much,” Beomgyu blinked in bewilderment before he glared at Taehyun. He shook his head, “How dare you say that? I would be a fantastic Lord. Even the Lord for the people.” Beomgyu took a breath in before he raised his eyebrows, “Did you forget? When Yeonjun and I get married, I will be </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> King.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun stared at Beomgyu. He blinked a few times before he said, “I’m going to say this slowly so that you understand me: </span>
  <b>Down with </b>
  <b>
    <em>your </em>
  </b>
  <b>Crown</b>
  <span>.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“YOU!!” Beomgyu pointed accusingly at the younger man. He didn’t have an immediate response to Taehyun but perhaps, Bluebell’s lucky flower worked its magic. Jjunie stepped between Beomgyu and Taehyun as he suggested, “I’m sorry about interrupting, but I think we should continue this reunion inside the HYBE Guildhall. Lord Beomgyu might send someone else to us ...he’s got eyes everywhere.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The HYBE Guild had been much smaller than Beomgyu had expected. Although the size had been more humble than the BH Guild, the familiar faces that were in the cozy hall made him feel right at home. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Even</span>
  </em>
  <span> with an extra Taehyun. There was modesty to this Guildhall; everything was homey, warm and handcrafted with love and care, much more humble than the BH Guild’s boisterous reputation would allow. The Celestial Mage smiled as he walked through the cafe - if they had been in their Guild, he was sure someone would have started a silly rumble over mint chocolate chip ice cream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is the Aracante version of me,” Taehyun gestured to his doppelganger that awaited them at one of the tables. He gestured for everyone to take a seat before he continued. “He’s up to date on everything that has happened here. Including our arrival to Aracante.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu wasn’t surprised that this version of Taehyun had been well-informed. It amused him. There might have been different iterations of them in various worlds, but at the end of the day, their core was still the same. He frowned as he quietly wondered: what happened to Lord Beomgyu to make him the way that he is? There had to be a good reason, there just had to be one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun of Aracante cleared his throat as he took everyone’s attention. “My handsome counterpart has informed me of the challenges in comprehension that your world has. So, to prevent any confusion, you can call me Hyun,” he decided for them. He chuckled to himself as he began to explain, “As he mentioned, I’m well informed about all of the events that have led up to now. My informant is extremely close to Lord Beomgyu.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Celestial Mage stared at Hyun. He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> cut from the same cloth as Taehyun. He squinted at the man before he decided, “It’s Soobin, isn’t it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You said he was stupid,” Hyun turned to Taehyun and then let out a surprised laugh, “He got that right almost immediately.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun rolled his eyes before he explained, “Well, I mean, it's a process of elimination. You’re here. He’s with this version of Yeonjun and Kai. The only person </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> here is Soobin. He’d be more stupid not to get it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Beomgyu pointed at Taehyun, “That was my exact thought process.” It was not, but Beomgyu wouldn’t tell them that it was because he considered Soobin to be his best friend. He wouldn’t even tell Soobin that, not in a million years. Soobin didn’t need the boost of confidence that could come from that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>My</span>
  </em>
  <span> Soobin is </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> informant," Hyun made sure that his emphasis could easily be heard. "As I mentioned, he is close to Lord Beomgyu... he's Lord Beomgyu's personal patisserie."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu stared at Hyun. He blinked a few times before his face twisted in mild confusion. "Soobin... is a patisserie?" Beomgyu asked, unsure that words should have been connected to each other. He shook his head as he verbally recalled, "The last time that Soobin baked for me was when I joined the BH Guild and... he should stick to being a Mage."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Soobin has baked for me before," Taehyun frowned at Beomgyu. His lips turned into a pout, "He's better at baking than you're giving him credit for. He's really good at making lemon madeleines. You just like messing with him."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, I guess..., " Beomgyu shrugged. The congratulations cake Soobin baked hadn't been awful, just a little </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> sweet. "But, let's rewind," Beomgyu said as he moved his hands into a circle, "Lord Beomgyu has a </span>
  <em>
    <span>personal</span>
  </em>
  <span> patisserie? He has a personal patisserie and I don't?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hyun nodded, "He didn't originally. He kept coming to our bakery and ordering sweets almost everyday. Then, he finally offered Soobin a job. Every Tuesday and Friday, Soobin goes to the Lord's castle and bakes batches of sweets and comes home." Hyun's brows knitted together as he shook his head, "At first, I didn't agree with it. I didn't want my husband working for an evil Lord. It's not good for the family business we were trying to buil--"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"WAIT," Beomgyu held his hand out in front of Hyun. He stared, blinked the confusion out of his expression as he looked around. There had been a lot of things in this world that </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> have surprised him but out of everything, it was this revelation that knocked the wind out of him. "</span>
  <b>Husband</b>
  <span>?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu's reaction to the word had been more animated than Taehyun's - the blonde Mage stared blankly, the color his face drained slightly as he blinked a few times. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Husband</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It had been a single word, but it struck the two of them into a frozen state - </span>
  <em>
    <span>husband</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Their wedding was last year. I was Hyun's best man for it," Jjunie chimed in with a smile, "It was a lovely winter wedding. Just so full of love."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A winter wedding.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were more important things to get fixated on, especially in this world but Beomgyu's mind swirled around with the thoughts that </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> Taehyun and Soobin were married </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> they had a winter wedding. Not only were they married, they had a bakery that they were turning into a </span>
  <em>
    <span>family</span>
  </em>
  <span> business. As Beomgyu’s initial confusion melted away into happiness for the pair, he couldn’t hold back his smile - he loved to see people in love </span>
  <em>
    <span>be</span>
  </em>
  <span> in love.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm so happy for you two," Beomgyu beamed at Hyun. He stole a glance over at Taehyun before he elbowed him, and whispered, "You've been staring at him like he grew a second head. Are you okay?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why would you get married so young?" Taehyun finally asked. He looked up at Hyun, "You're just like Beomgyu and Yeonjun, getting engaged within their first year of dating. It just doesn't make sense, like why are you all in such a rush to get married for?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For all of the times that Taehyun had earned the title of the mature one, there were moments like this where he was so childlike and out of his element; his eyes had widened, pupils waved slightly as his confusion read across his knitted brows. He chewed the inside of his cheek and every so often, he would look up at his Aracante counterpart. Beomgyu smiled. It was cute - Taehyun might have excelled in many things, but he was just as inexperienced as everyone was when it came to love.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I've known him my whole life," Hyun explained. His eyes softened as a light blush painted his cheeks, "I knew we would get married eventually. We decided to do it sooner than later."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Just like that?" Taehyun frowned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hyun nodded with a smile, "Just like that."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It seemed like there were more questions that Taehyun wanted to ask, but a commotion picked up as the door to the HYBE Guild swung open. A tall, blue haired man walked in with the most confused and concerned expression on his face. The man made no stops as he walked right to Hyun, "I think I got fired."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fired</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" Hyun asked as he gestured for the man to take a seat. When the man settled beside him, Hyun gently reached for his shoulder and began to massage it gently. "What do you mean you got fired, Soobin?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Lord Beomgyu usually sends someone to pick me up from the bakery, remember?" </span>
  <em>
    <span>This</span>
  </em>
  <span> world's Soobin's frown continued to deepen as he spoke, "Except today, he didn't send anyone at the usual time. So, I waited a few hours but nothing... babe, I think he really did fire me. I’m so sorry, Taehyun.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“... so,” Hueningkai whispered to Soobin. His eyes moved to the right, then left before they wandered back to Soobin. He waited for the last of the guards to leave before he asked, “Can you even bake a macaron? Or a cake? Or eclairs?” The longer that Kai stared at the list of desserts that Lord Beomgyu wanted, the more concerned he became about their current situation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why do you all think that I can’t bake?” Soobin shook his head in disappointment. He put his hand over his heart and frowned at Kai, “If Taehyun were here, he would say that I could do this. I’ve baked for Taehyun before. I’ve baked for you before too! </span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> said it was delicious.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Taehyun said to be polite,” Kai admitted with a casual shrug, “So, I was being polite because of him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soobin stared, his mouth agape and eyes full of offense. He shook his head slowly as he frowned at Kai, “I’m the one who can bake us out of this and this is how you’re acting?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kai rolled his eyes at Soobin’s dramatism but he changed his attitude immediately. He hugged Soobin as he changed the tone of his voice, “You’re the best baker that I’ve ever met, Soobin. You can do this. You can bake all of the desserts on the list and Lord Beomgyu will be pleased with it and he’d let us go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soobin laughed at Kai’s immediate switch in attitude. He hugged Kai back and then changed the topic to one of major concern, “I can’t believe they let Beomgyu be a Lord in this world.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know why you’re shocked,” Kai said as he stepped away, He looked at Soobin with mild confusion, “I mean, he’s going to be a King in ours. I think Beomgyu would be a great Lord or King.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not wrong …,” Soobin shrugged as he reached for what he assumed were the ingredients for the dessert. When it came to baking, some people have claimed that there was science to it. Soobin thought it was based on feeling and right now, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>felt</span>
  </em>
  <span> like he could do this. It shouldn’t be that hard. He knew what the desserts looked like </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> he knew exactly what they tasted like too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you grabbing so much salt?” Kai reached for the bag in Soobin’s hand. When he took the bag, he shook his head as he read over the letters. “I thought you said you knew how to bake.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>know how,” Soobin frowned before he admitted, “This place just has everything different from my home. Besides, salt can be used for baking. Depending on the recipe. Don’t you know that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kai’s response was a simple shrug. The kitchen was a far more mysterious and dangerous place than any of the unknown adventures he had been on. He set the salt down on the counter as he suggested, “You should bake. I’m going to explore the castle and look for where they’ve taken our King hostage.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Although Kai waited for Soobin’s response, he knew he wouldn’t get one. Not when Soobin was focused on searching the cupboards for ingredients to recipes that he had no idea about. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good luck …,” Kai said as he quietly made his exit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hunter</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kai - that was the name of this world’s version of himself and Kai didn’t like it. Not with the way that everyone in the castle retreated at the sight of him. The fear that shook their eyes broke Kai’s heart. He vowed never to cause that fear again …</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But this wasn’t the world he was familiar with. This wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> reputation that set fear into the people he’d come across. He shouldn’t take this so personally. Although he reminded himself that, it was hard to ignore the tug of guilt in his heart - fear was a weapon that Kai did not want to handle again. He sighed as he continued to navigate through the castle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wonder wher--,” Kai’s wonder came to a pause as a door opened and a guard emerged from it. Kai mimicked the guard as he stood up at attention - he needed to play the part right now. He cleared his throat, “Where are you coming from?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lord Beomgyu asked me to check the prisoner, sir.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The prisoner?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The guard raised an eyebrow at Kai before he clarified, “The Dragon Slayer from Chronos, my captain. The King.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kai blinked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So, Yeonjun </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>was</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> in the castle.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He nodded, “Lord Beomgyu has asked that I interrogate the prisoner about …,” Kai had never been good at lying. Whenever there was a Quest that required any form of deceit went straight to Taehyun and Soobin. His eyes traveled across the guard’s face as if the answer would show up on the guard’s eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The Mana transfer?” The guard filled in Kai’s blank as he nodded, “Please go right ahead, sir.” He stepped aside as he opened the door, “Be careful, my captain. The prisoner is more rabid than usual today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Rabid?</span>
  </em>
  <span> That did not sound right. What did they do to Yeonjun? He tried to keep worry away from his expression as his imagination wandered down a darker route. Kai nodded slowly, “Of course. I’ll go alone to the prisoner.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A dungeon to keep a Dragon Slayer ...it seemed lackluster to Kai. He had been on the frontlines when a Dragon Slayer was in battle, a dungeon shouldn’t be able to hold them back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Prepare for anything,” Kai said as he descended down the staircase. His footsteps were the only sound as went further down. The silence’s unsettling nature sent a chill down his back as he reached the final step. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the end of the staircase was a cell, iron bars with spellwork etched into each bar. The spellwork was so strong that even people who weren’t versed in Magic could see its brightly burned lettering. Kai walked over, eyes scanned across the bars as he tried to find a break in the spell. He shook his head as he gingerly reached for one of the bars. A bright bite of Mana sent a shockwave through his fingers - he drew back right away, stepped away from the bars.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Aren’t you tired of being an attack dog</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” The voice was harsh, but tired. There was a hint of desperation in the voice, like it was starting to lose hope.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeonjun?” Kai asked as he looked past the bars to the prisoner slumped in the corner of the prison cell. “Yeonjun! It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“... you’re not the Hunter?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Kai said as he stepped closer to the bars. His eyes widened as he saw the state Yeonjun was in, “Are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you get here?” Yeonjun asked as he pushed himself off the ground. There were wounds burned into him, some were fresh but others had healed over. He limped over to the bars, careful not to touch them. “This isn’t even our realm ...how are y--where’s Beomgyu?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Kai revealed with a frown. He gestured behind him, “Soobin and I are here. I think there’s been a mix up because Lord Beomgyu thinks I’m the Hunter and that Soobin is his baker.” He bit his lip before he continued, “I haven’t seen Taehyun or Beomgyu since we crossed over …”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yeonjun chewed the inside of his cheek. His eyes moved left and right frantically, “The Hunter must be after them. They knew Beomgyu was going to come over, that was their goal but I don’t think they realized he would bring you all with him.” Yeonjun let out a sharp breath before he sat down. He carefully held his side as he adjusted how he sat, “You need to find Beomgyu and leave this place as soon as possible. You need to keep him safe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeonjun! Are you okay? What did they do to you?” Kai squatted down to level with the King. He knelt on one knee before he declined the order, “No, we came here to rescue you. We’re friends, Yeonjun. You always help us out. Let us do that for you.” Kai looked up at the bars again, “I’ll find a way to get you out of here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Listen, I’ll be okay. I don’t want them to get any of you,” Yeonjun’s eyes pleaded with Kai, begging him, “You and Soobin need to leave the castle and find Beomgyu and Taehyun. Get back to our world.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kai laughed, “What is it with you and always demanding that we leave everything to you? You should already know that we’re not good at listening to you about that. We’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>friends</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Besides,” Kai shrugged as he reminded Yeonjun, “Do you really think Beomgyu is going to agree and leave you here? You should know him by now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yeonjun nodded, a slow smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Once he has a goal, he’s not going to let it go. His determination is something else,” he looked up at Kai, “If that’s the case, can you find him and just make sure he’s safe? This version of you, the Hunter, is brutal. He’s not going to stop.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, I’ll tell Soobin and we’ll fin—Soobin!” Kai’s eyes widened as he suggested, “I’ll bring Soobin down here and he can heal you! That way you won’t be in pa—“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t. I want you to but you can’t,” Yeonjun shook his head, “If I’m healed and they come down here, it’s going to get worse. I can handle this right now. I’ll be fine. Just go find Beomgyu.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s weird.” Beomgyu walked to where Taehyun stood. The blonde Mage had his arms folded across his chest; he shook his head as his frown continued to deepen. Taehyun cast a quick glance to Beomgyu before he looked back at their prisoner, “We’ve met this version of me, Yeonjun and Soobin. We’ve heard about Lord Beomgyu but this version of Kai? That’s the one that doesn’t sit with me at all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Exactly,” Beomgyu agreed, “I can’t believe someone with Kai’s face would be so evil.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t believe you beat him,” Taehyun said in disbelief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu turned his head slowly to look at Taehyun, “You know, I am a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> capable Mage, Taehyun. You haven’t even seen me use my Celestial Armor recently. I’m so cool.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun shrugged, “Maybe. I’ll see it when I believe it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You!” Beomgyu scrunched his face as he stared at Taehyun. He decided </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> to pursue an argument ...for now. There’ll be another chance, especially with Taehyun’s reactions toward marriage. Beomgyu wasn’t going to let that go. Not yet. He blinked a few times before he turned his focus back to the fake Hueningkai. He tilted his head toward Taehyun, “So, how do we start this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like this,” Taehyun stepped forward and nodded toward the Hunter. “We’re going to ask questions and you’re going to answer. Keep it simple, for </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> of us. Especially for yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Hunter raised his eyebrows at Taehyun before he gave him an easy smile and a shrug. He wasn’t phased by Taehyun’s threat. Had this been </span>
  <em>
    <span>their</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kai, the youngest Mage would have given up all of the answers without a second thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is Lord Beomgyu planning to do with Yeonjun?” Taehyun asked. Instinctively, he reached for his deck of cards. He shuffled through them as he waited for an answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Him,” the Hunter nodded at Beomgyu, “Your King is just a casualty. The goal is </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu’s eyes narrowed at the man, “What does your Lord Beomgyu want with me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The same thing that you’re always being targeted for, Celestial Mage. The power of the Celestial Spirits goes beyond realms and</span>
  <em>
    <span> you</span>
  </em>
  <span> have the most Keys,” the Hunter’s eyes narrowed at Beomgyu. He smirked, “You have no idea the powers you hold, do you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Your mom was a Celestial Mage, right?” Beomgyu asked as he shifted from where he laid. He lifted his head from Yeonjun’s shoulder so he could look up at the older Mage.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“She was,” Yeonjun blinked at him before he asked, “What’s going on?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Do you know anything about the Celestial Spirits? The Celestial Realm?” Beomgyu’s lips twisted in frustration before he laid back. He rested his head back against Yeonjun, nuzzled against him, “It’s just, everyone always knows more than me when it comes to my own abilities. How am </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>I</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> supposed to master being a Celestial Mage when everyone else knows more about it than me?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeonjun stayed silent as he gently rubbed small circles against Beomgyu’s back. His touch was always a sense of comfort to Beomgyu.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I have these abilities and Spirits and everyone seems to want them,” Beomgyu continued, “How am I supposed to protect the Celestial Spirits and everyone if I don’t know anything about anything?” Beomgyu felt Yeonjun’s chuckle. In response to Yeonjun’s laugh, Beomgyu pouted and started to poke his sides. “Stop laughing at me! You’re supposed to be supportive of me and my struggles, not laugh at me! Yeonjun!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m not laughing at you,” Yeonjun grabbed at Beomgyu’s hands. He tried to stop the tickle attack that Beomgyu started but was failing. Between his laughter and attempts to gasp for breath, Yeonjun said, “I’m ticklish, don’t do that.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“No,” Beomgyu’s pokes turned into full force tickling. Yeonjun laugh was his favorite and he was thankful he got to hear more of it during their vacation. “You deserve this. I’m trying to have a serious conversation and you just start laughing at me. How dare you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>your Majesty</span>
  <em>
    <span>?”Beomgyu smirked as he comfortably sat on top of Yeonjun. His hands travelled up and down Yeonjun’s sides until Yeonjun begged for Beomgyu to stop.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Baby, I was laughing because you’re so ...you’re always looking to keep improving. You’re already doing amazing and yet, you just keep wanting to improve,” Yeonjun’s hands settled on Beomgyu’s waist. His smile made Beomgyu’s heart race. No one had ever looked at him with as much love as Yeonjun did. “Beomgyu, you’re incredible.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Stop,” Beomgyu covered his face with his hands to hide his flusteredness. He felt Yeonjun’s hands move from his hips to his thighs. He took in a soft breath before he let out a sigh. “Don’t make that face when you’re saying things like that. It’s unfair.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“How’s it unfair if I’m telling the truth? I’ve told you before, you’re incredible. Not </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>just</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> because you’re unbelievably gorgeous, you’re just the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” Yeonjun reached up and moved Beomgyu’s hands aside, “I know you’re worried about being a good Celestial Mage but I’m not because I know you ...and the Celestial Spirits are </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>literally</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> fighting to have you as their Mage.” He smiled again, “But, I’ll do everything I can to help you improve.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>This unending, open support that Yeonjun constantly gave was something that flustered Beomgyu. He hoped that he could give the same. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeonjun,” Beomgyu cupped Yeonjun’s cheek as he gently brushed his thumb, “I love you. I love you so much.” He leaned in and kissed him. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>There was a lot that Beomgyu didn’t know but right now, he knew what was important: he loved Yeonjun and Yeonjun loved him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” Beomgyu frowned as he sat down across from Taehyun, “Our interrogation did not work very well. This version of Kai is just not the business.” His face scrunched as he recalled all of the snarky non-answers that this Hunter gave. This version of Kai was such a headache. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I miss </span>
  <em>
    <span>our</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kai,” Taehyun rested his elbows on the table. He sighed before he added, “I miss Soobin. I’m hoping that the two of them are together. At least, I know they’ll have a chance for survival together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m just hoping that they don’t run into Lord Beomgyu or whatever,” Beomgyu shrugged, “I just can’t believe there’s a version of me </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kai that are evil. Me, I can understand ...maybe but Kai being evil is just wrong on every level.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t believe Yeonjun’s a farmer,” Taehyun muttered, “It’s so weird seeing him be so innocent.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu laughed as he defended their new farmer friend, “He’s cute! Farmer Jjunie is so sweet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun rolled his eyes, “That’s just because you think all Yeonjun’s are hot. He’s literally your only type at this point,,” he shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m married in this world.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you want to be?” Beomgyu raised an eyebrow at Taehyun. “Like haven’t you thought about it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The question tinted Taehyun’s cheeks with a soft shade of pink. He pouted before he finally answered, “Maybe. Eventually, but right now?” He shook his head and then nodded at Beomgyu, “You’re the </span>
  <em>
    <span>engaged</span>
  </em>
  <span> one. Don’t talk to me about marriage, Beomgyu.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I want to get married, I do. Get married, collect all of the Celestial Keys, have three kids and grow old in the Castle and pass the Keys down to my babies when they’re responsible enough,” Beomgyu admitted. It wasn’t weird that he thought about it because he </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> thought about it many times. He never thought that it would have been something that would have happened so quickly, “Just not yet. I’m not ready yet and I don’t think Yeonjun is either ...I want to talk to him about that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun stared at Beomgyu. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it when he heard Hyun call out to them. “Hyun, what’s going on?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your Soobin and Kai are at the castle. One of the guards came to the bakery and said that Soobin was acting like a fresh baker. Almost set the stove on the fire,” he said as he sat down next to Taehyun, “The grapevine has passed down information that lets me think we can break into the castle.” He leaned in and whispered, “How do you two feel about a masquerade? Lord Beomgyu is hosting one soon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A masquerade?” Beomgyu tilted his head to the side, “If we get in, we can find Soobin and Kai. I hope Yeonjun is there too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t believe we’re going to break into Lord Beomgyu’s castle through a masquerade,” Taehyun frowned, “It sounds too easy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It doesn’t hurt to try.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeonjun’s here,” Kai whispered to Soobin as soon as he returned to the kitchen. “He’s here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bowl in Soobin’s hands hit the counter as his eyes widened. His hands froze in place, unable to pick it up again. He looked over to Kai, disbelief across his expression as he whispered, “You found him?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kai nodded as he stood closer to Soobin. He pretended to pass ingredients to Soobin, just in case. “They have him in a dungeon. I couldn’t get him out,” he explained as he watched Soobin pick up the mixing bowl. “It’s covered in spells. It burns when you touch it. I’m pretty sure Yeonjun’s tried to break out, he looks awful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If only Taehyun were here,” Soobin bit the inside of his cheek as he shook his head, “Taehyun could dismantle that faster than I could. I’ve never been good at that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But Yeonjun said we need to find Beomgyu and get him away,” Kai continued, “He’s the target.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Beomgyu? Beomgyu is the target?” Soobin asked, but he wasn’t surprised. Beomgyu was in very high demand from their unknown enemies. Soobin was thankful he didn’t have to carry the burden of being a Celestial Mage, but he wished he could help Beomgyu carry it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>The target? Since when am I a target? When did you stop using Lord to address me?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pair looked up at the man in the door: it was Lord Beomgyu, dressed in sleek, dark clothing with an impatient expression on. Soobin and Kai froze in their spot, unable to react as this Beomgyu walked toward them. He leaned over to look into the mixing bowl, “Are you making the desserts?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Lord Beomgyu,” Soobin forced out as he nodded. He cleared his throat and reassured, “I’ll have them done soon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perfect, but I’m doubling the request. I’ve decided to move the masquerade a few days earlier,” he explained as he eyed Soobin and Kai carefully, “So, you’ve got two days to finish baking everything. I’m sure you’ll be able to do it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, my Lord,” Soobin forced himself to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kai could not make eye contact with this Beomgyu. He remained frozen in his spot until the man left. Once this Beomgyu exited the kitchen, he finally let out the breath he held. “It’s so wrong seeing Beomgyu be so cold,” Kai whispered harshly at Soobin. He frowned, “I don’t like it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Lord</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I can’t believe I had to call him that,” Soobin lamented as he shook his head. “A masquerade though …,” Soobin’s lips formed a frown as he sighed, “I wish we knew where Taehyun or Beomgyu was. They could get here through the masquerade. Everyone will be in masks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The perfect cover-up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait,” Soobin looked up at Kai, “Can’t you leave the castle?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can leave the castle?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not the baker! You’re the Hunter, right? Can’t you go ...hunt?” Soobin suggested as he poured some more ingredients into the bowl. He tossed in a few more spoonfuls of sugar. He gave the ingredients another whisk through before he folded in the eggs. “You should be able to leave and then use your Beast Soul and sniff out Beomgyu or Taehyun, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t think they’ll find it suspicious?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soobin shrugged, “I don’t think so. We’d just be playing the roles of the people here, right? I’m supposed to be the baker. You’re supposed to be hunting …”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m supposed to be hunting Beomgyu,” Kai frowned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See, that makes it easier,” Soobin clapped his hands together. His enthusiastic clapping caused the mixing raw mixing bowl to spill over the stove. The batter touched the open flame and started to burn; the ingredients Soobin had put into the pale mixture had been caught by the flames. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why was the stove on?” Kai asked as he scrambled to find something to put out the now flaming batter. He tried to carefully turn the stove off </span>
  <em>
    <span>before</span>
  </em>
  <span> he found something to throw on it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was preheating the oven, I didn’t realize the stove turned on too,” Soobin started to panic as he reached for a wet towel. He tossed the wet towel on the batter, but that only made it worse. The towel’s presence made the fire spread, the flames licked the air and started to expand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, Kai had managed to turn off the stove. He quickly filled one of the empty bowls with water and threw it at the fire. Soobin followed suit and eventually, the two of them prevented the kitchen from being caught on fire.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We should just find you a bakery to order all of that stuff from,” Kai stared at Soobin, “Two days to make double?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“... okay, you’re right. Let’s go into town.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Toto Gate, unlock.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The frame of a small door lit up as a small green parrot emerged. The excited energy that came from Toto brought a smile to Beomgyu. Toto always carried a joy when it appeared. It fluttered above Beomgyu before it took its place perched on Beomgyu’s shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Friend Beomie!” The bird chirped in happiness as it nuzzled its head against Beomgyu’s cheek, “I missed you, I missed you, I missed you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu reached up and pet the bird’s head, “I missed you too, Toto. I’m glad you’re doing well.” Of all the Celestial Spirits, Toto was always the sweetest. “I need your help,” he explained, “Do you think you can find someone for me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anything for you, Friend!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can you find Soobin or Hueningkai?” Beomgyu asked, “I don’t know where they’re at here, Toto, but I was hoping that you could find them for us and let them know that we’re going to Lord Beomgyu’s masquerade!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There are two Beomies here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded, “Yes, but you have to be careful of Lord Beomgyu, Toto. He’s not as nice as I am. He’s kind of ...mean. He took Yeonjun from me and he’s been scaring and hurting people.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not very Beomie-like,” Toto shook its head, “That’s not very nice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, Toto. I want to help him but we need to find Soobin and Kai. We can help him become a better Beomie once we get everyone together,” Beomgyu smiled at the bird. “Can I count on you for help?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey,” Jjunie’s voice broke Beomgyu’s focused stare, “You okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I was just watching Toto take off,” Beomgyu smiled at the farmer, “Are you okay? I kind of just hijacked you and Bluebell from your crops and everything.” He blinked a few times and then apologized, “I just realized that the currency from Chronos to here probably aren’t the same. I said I would pay you and everything for helpin--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jjunie shook his head as he gave Beomgyu a sheepish smile, “You don’t gotta pay me or nothing, Beomgyu. I want to help.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re really sweet, Jjunie. I really appreciate you,” the Celestial Mage smiled, “Honestly, if there is something that I can do for you, please just let me know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just one thing,” Jjunie said as his cheeks filled with a light blush. “I know we’re pulling a rescue mission with the masquerade and all, but do you reckon I can one dance with you, Beomgyu?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu looked up at Jjunie and nodded with a gentle smile, “One dance with me? Of course, Jjunie.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The news of Lord Beomgyu’s masquerade being moved spread throughout the city. While the majority of the city broke into a buzz, Beomgyu and Taehyun witnessed Hyun and Soobin drop into a full panic. They originally wanted to use this time to prepare for their masquerade break-in, but somehow, the two of them became recruited by the married couple to help in the bakery.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bakery was called “Bread and Barley'' - this was the start of Hyun and Soobin’s family legacy. The bakery was cozy, warm. It was a modest bakery, built with so much love; Soobin and Hyun’s framed wedding photo was placed next to the cash register. It reminded Beomgyu of the bakeries in his village. It just made him so happy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Listen, I know your Soobin should be able handle this but this is our bakery’s reputation on the line,” Hyun had insisted as he tied his apron on, “We need to have everything prepared and sent to Lord Beomgyu’s castle before the masquerade. My Soobin’s baking reputation cannot be tarnished. I won’t let it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Hyun barked orders for Beomgyu and Taehyun, Beomgyu elbowed Taehyun and said, “He sounds like you. Pretends to be mean but will maim someone for his love. You’re exactly the same, I swear.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun rolled his eyes, “You’re even worse than he is, Beomgyu. You’ve never heard yourself talk about Yeonjun. It’s sickening.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu rolled his eyes as he took the bags of flour that Hyun instructed them to carry. They all had their roles to play in this sudden bake-off. As he began to separate the flour into premixed bowls, Beomgyu decided that he would get his own private patisserie ...this was so much more work than he expected. He stole a glance at Taehyun who looked so focused on making sure the same amount of chocolate chips were put into each bowl.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two of them had gotten so wrapped up in making sure that they followed their direct orders that Hyun’s gasp shattered the silent air. Beomgyu set the bag of flour down as he nodded toward Taehyun; the two of them pressed up against the door to the front of the bakery. Through the door, they could hear Hyun stammer about not having anything worth robbing ...Beomgyu elbowed Taehyun, then gestured with his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is there a problem?” Taehyun took the place beside Hyun, “My brother here said he doesn’t have anything for you to take. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Leave</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This bakery works for Lord Beomgyu,” the bandit smirked as he slammed a fist into the counter. He grinned, “If you don’t have anything to rob, then we will just destroy this. Anyone who works with Lord Beomgyu doesn’t deserve anything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” Taehyun’s voice remained calm as he smiled at the bandit, “I told you to leave.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu put a hand on Hyun’s shoulder and nodded for him to head to the back. This was going to get messy, he could tell. He walked Hyun to the back as he suggested, “Stay with your husband in the back. Taehyun and I can handle these guys. We’ll make it quick.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You two don’t need to fight for us. We’re supposed to be keeping you two safe from being noticed by Lord Beomgyu,” Hyun said as he looked at Beomgyu, “If you fight these guys, the castle will know you two are here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re friends, Hyun,” Beomgyu smiled, “This is how </span>
  <em>
    <span>we </span>
  </em>
  <span>take care of friends.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu wasn’t sure about the values of the HYBE Guild, but if there was anything that BH Guild taught its Mages, it was to always take care of their friends. He pushed Hyun to the back before he walked over to where the glaring contest between Taehyun and the bandits was happening. Beomgyu leaned against the glass display of the bakery before he calmly said, “You guys should leave. He’s going to get angry and that's never fun. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Especially </span>
  </em>
  <span>for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One of the bandits reacted with an attempt to smash the display of baked goods. Taehyun smirked as he quickly tossed a card at them - when it came to card tosses, he was the fastest in the land. The bandit drew back his fist in shock at the card against his chest. He tried to take to off as he asked, “What the fuck is this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun winked before he snapped his fingers, “Gladius Thornea.” At the snap of his fingers, vines emerged from the card and wrapped around the bandit and their friends. The dark vines engulfed the bandits easily; it held them in their places, continued to tighten its grip every time they tried to move. When the vines finally tangled itself around this poor attempt of a thievery squad, Taehyun shook his head, “You should have just left.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu rest his chin on his hands as he watched Taehyun take care of the bandits. He decided that he would let Taehyun take care of this. It was nice, not having to be the one to get into a fight this time. He laughed at how easy it had been for Taehyun to remove all of the bandits; he laughed even harder when Taehyun made them </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> swear never to come here again. Taehyun was a terrifying person, Beomgyu was glad that they were on the same side.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe we should have let the kitchen go on fire,” Kai mumbled as he stood across from Soobin. The two of them had been trying to come up with a plausible excuse for how they could both leave the castle at the same time, but neither of them were able to come up with something. He folded his arms across his chest as he looked at Soobin, “You’re a baker here, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Apparently,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Soobin said as he continued to attempt baking another dessert. He wasn’t a bad baker, but there was a voice that reminded him of  how important it was for him to bake </span>
  <em>
    <span>these</span>
  </em>
  <span> desserts perfectly. The drive for perfection made him nervous. “I wish I wasn’t a baker here,” Soobin muttered, “Why would I be a ba--,” Soobin stopped and looked up at Kai, “I’m dumb.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not dumb,” Kai shook his head as he frowned, “Don’t say stuff like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll just bake something and use my Magic to make Lord Beomgyu think it’s amazing,” Soobin explained his sudden realization. He let out a laugh, “We should be able to cast an easy illusion spell, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kai blinked as he looked back at Soobin,”Why do we always forget that we’re Mages? We are some of the most amazing Mages too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s because we’re baking, not fighting, Kai,” Soobin laughed as he finally started to stir the new mixture. This was going to be the perfect mixture this time, he was going to make sure of it. “If we were on the battlefield, it’d be no problem but take us out of it and we’re clueless.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While Soobin was right, it made Kai frown. They had been learning their battle Magic since they were children. It was all they were good at, all that they were trained to be. He sighed as he let the silence return to the kitchen. The sound of Soobin’s whisk hitting the mixing bowl was the only sound in the kitchen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Tap. Tap. Tap.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kai watched as Soobin continued to mix the bowl. He half-wondered how long Soobin was going to whisk but he knew he wasn’t a good enough baker to ask. Although he swore could almost hear Taehyun and Beomgyu’s voices - he could imagine those two teasing Soobin about his baking. They were better together, Kai decided. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Tap. Tap. Tap.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of the tapping caught Kai by surprise. “Soobin, stop whisking for a second,” he asked as he listened for the tapping again. On cue, the tapping came back and he ran to the window. “Soobin! It’s Toto,” Kai pointed before he opened the window. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The little green bird flew around the kitchen. It chirped happily before it perched itself on Soobin’s head. “A fool!” It sang happily as it made itself comfortable on Soobin, “Beomie sent me to find you two! I knew I could do it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Beomgyu’s okay?” Soobin asked and immediately added, “Is Taehyun okay too?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes!” Toto’s chirping turned energetic, “They’re baking with another Soobin and another Taehyun! And a farmer Yeonjun!” Without Beomgyu to focus on, Toto’s attention was scattered. The little green bird flew off Soobin and then landed on Kai’s shoulder and then flew off again before it came back to Soobin. “The masquerade! The masquerade!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do they know about the masquerade?” Kai asked as he reached for Toto. He gently pet the bird’s head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um ...um, yes. Beomie said that they’re going to be here,” Toto chirped. “He said they’re going to come here and take care of the mean Beomie.” It nuzzled against Kai’s finger, “They’re baking! You should taste it! Beomie is baking!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kai looked up at Soobin, “Beomgyu and Taehyun are a really good team together. Even if they’re always teasing each other. They came up with a plan easily.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re BH Mages, Kai,” Soobin shrugged, “I don’t know why you’re even surprised.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kai returned Soobin’s shrug with his own. The youngest Mage always believed in his team; he knew that he could trust them to do everything but it </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> always impressed him. He smiled. At least, they were all about to get back to where they’re supposed to be.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Despite being busy with helping Hyun and Soobin with their bakery for the past two days, Beomgyu could not ease his anxiousness. His brain could be a monster; his thoughts muddled his sleep with their awful ideas. How long had it been since he had a good night’s sleep? He sighed as he fixed his tie in the mirror. Maybe everyone had been right, he should stop keeping all of his frustrations to himself. With the final adjustment of his tie and a quick run through his hair, he took his mask and headed down to meet Taehyun and the others.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When we get to the castle,” Taehyun said as he pointed to Beomgyu, “You stay away from Lord Beomgyu. One of us will distract him or something, you go find Yeonjun. Maybe our Kai or Soobin knows where he’s at. So, hopefully, we can find them fast and get out of there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded. He normally had something to add to plans but there was nervousness in the pit of his stomach that made him feel sick. He bit his lip and let Taehyun take charge. The layout of the plan seemed easy enough </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> it should be easy enough …</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No one get distracted,” Taehyun pointed at all of them, “Everyone keep Lord Beomgyu away from Beomgyu, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With the mask on, Beomgyu had blended in with the crowd easily. As their team split up and spread across the ball room, Beomgyu smiled and nodded politely at the strangers. He carefully weaved in and out of the crowd, just trying to get through unnoticed. Although Beomgyu promised a dance with Jjunie, he wasn’t feeling up to the feastivities of that came with masquerade. Quietly, he edged himself away from the crowd and slipped out of the ballroom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Man,” Beomgyu sighed as he loosened his tie. He loved these events, he always looked forward to them but it was hard for him to enjoy. “Okay, the others can do that ...I’ll ju--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of a whisper made its way down the hall. The Celestial Mage looked left and right; he was sure that he was the only person in the hallway ...Beomgyu stuck his hand in his pocket. His fingers instinctively curled around the Leo Key. “Who’s there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is you!” The owner of the voice came out and Beomgyu let out a sigh of relief. He ran to the younger man and gave him the tightest hug that he could. At least, Kai was okay which meant that Soobin was too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huening,” Beomgyu sighed happily as he said, “We were so worried about you two. When Hyun, this version of Taehyun, said you and Soobin were here in the castle …,” he shook his head, “Taehyun and I were so worried about what would happen to you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re okay,” Kai admitted as he hugged Beomgyu back, “I was worried about you! They said that they sent the Hunter to get you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yeah. Hunter Kai. I met him. He’s got a lot of anger issues,” Beomgyu frowned. He released Kai from the hug and said, “Please promise me that you will </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> turn into an evil eye-patched monster ever. You need to stay as the lovely person that you are.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want to meet him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded but he smiled. At least, he knew that Kai and Soobin were safe. “Um,” Beomgyu’s eyes looked down as he nervously licked his bottom lip. He cleared his throat as he attempted to ask, “Did you ...were you able t--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, he’s here in the castle,” Kai answered. He looked at Beomgyu, “I found him. I’ll take you to him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu felt his heart race before he nodded, “Please.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just,” Kai looked away from Beomgyu. He shook his head as he revealed, “...he’s not doing well. Don’t be surprised …”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Take me to him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Although Kai had attempted to brief him on Yeonjun’s condition, Beomgyu didn’t know how to prepare himself. He told himself to stay calm and not to get ahead of himself, but that was easier said than done. His legs felt so wobbly as he walked down the long staircase - why did all castles have to have inconveniently placed dungeons for? His usual curious questions and complaints about castles didn’t distract him from his nervousness. However, he could hear his heartbeat speed up with each step down the stone staircase. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop being stupid,” Beomgyu scolded himself. He put a hand against the wall to steady himself. With a quick look behind him, he could see Kai’s shadow against the door - he was thankful Kai decided to let him have this moment to himself. He took a final breath before he continued down the dark stairs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Across from the foot of the staircase were those iron bars. Kai had mentioned that there was some kind of Magic engraved into them that made it difficult to touch. Beomgyu could easily see the markings. An older language, one that he couldn’t read …</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu’s ears twitched at the sound of his name. He hadn’t heard his name be called out like that in a few months. His heart was beating so fast that he swore it was going to burst out of his chest. He moved forward, almost ran to the bars, “Yeonjun?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baby, what are you doing here?” Yeonjun’s voice sounded so tired. Beomgyu stood right in front of the iron bars and he could finally see </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Yeonjun. “I told Kai he needed to get you as far away from here as possible,” Yeonjun’s lips turned into a frown as he stepped closer to the bars.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeonjun …,” Beomgyu bit his bottom lip as his fiancé’s image became clearer to him. A quiet sob escaped him as his eyes scanned across him; he felt the tears quietly blur his vision when saw the fresh wounds, the healed over ones and the tired expression on him. Yeonjun was the King; Beomgyu had always seen him so royal, regal and so full of strength. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, Yeonjun, baby.” He wanted to hug him, to take him in his arms and just hold him; he wanted to kiss him but these damned, cursed bars. “I’m so sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t do anything wrong, Beomgyu,” Yeonjun tried to reassure him with a forced smile. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu carefully reached through the iron bars, carefully avoiding them as he tried to touch Yeonjun. He placed his hand against Yeonjun’s left cheek, his thumb brushed against the new cut. Yeonjun looked so much paler, thinner than the last time he saw him. “It’s not your fault, Yeonjun.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yeonjun put his hand on top of Beomgyu’s before he laced their fingers together. When his lips pressed against the back of Beomgyu’s hand, the Celestial Mage couldn’t hold back those tears anymore. Yeonjun pressed one final kiss before, he closed his eyes and admitted, “I was starting to think that I would never get to see you again, but you’ve always been my hope, Beomgyu. I can’t believe you’re here.” Yeonjun’s voice began to waver as his eyes began to well up with tears. He took a breath, “You’re so beautiful, Beomgyu. I can’t believe you’re here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu stepped forward; he tried to get as close to the bars as he could without touching them. “I should have found you sooner,” Beomgyu frowned, “I thought you were mad at me after the last time we saw each other ...so, I thought you didn’t want to see me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baby …”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, I was being stupid. We can talk about it later,” Beomgyu sighed, “It’s not fair. Why are these stupid bars even here? I want to hug you so badly.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jjunie knew that it was stupid to have asked Beomgyu for a dance. Beomgyu was engaged to another version of himself and it was very, </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> obvious that Beomgyu was in love. He sighed behind his mask as he looked for the Celestial Mage. He scanned the people in the ballroom and then smiled when he saw the man. His brows knitted for a second - when did Beomgyu change clothes? Jjunie shrugged, “He probably wanted to make sure no one caught him. He’s so clever like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The farmer felt out of place - he was more comfortable in overalls and a straw hat than he was in a fancy suit and a masquerade mask. He took a breath as he walked forward. With each step, he reminded himself to stay confident. He tapped on </span>
  <em>
    <span>Beomgyu</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s shoulder and smiled, “Hey, can I have this dance?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Finally</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I was starting to think no one would ask me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you so much for making it to the end of the chapter! a lot happened in this one, huh? AND THAT CLIFFHANGER? haha.</p>
<p>there's no leo interview corner today since our little instigator wasn't in this chapter. you'll have to wait for the next one to see if he has another interview segment!</p>
<p>as always, please feel free to follow me on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/nine3rds">@ nine3rds</a> for chapter previews, polls and other fun things. </p>
<p>thank ya! appreciate ya! and love ya!<br/>see you in the next chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Into the New Peril</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Taehyun wondered why he even bothered to come up with a plan when nothing ever went according to it.<br/><br/>It's like Deja Vu - another Castle, another Yeonjun to break out of a dungeon. Except this time, the stakes are much, <i>much</i> higher.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi pals, </p>
<p>here is the 4th chapter of dybim2. this one surprisingly took me a little longer than i expected. there were a lot of little additions here and there. a few plotline changes that were made, but i think, you'll enjoy this chapter.</p>
<p>enjoy, friends!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"You're staring."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You're right, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span>," Yeonjun breathed out a gentle smile. He maintained his gaze, full adoration toward the younger man shamelessly on display, "I really didn't think I'd get to see you again, Beomgyu. You are the most beautiful person in all the worlds."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't say things like that," Beomgyu felt the heat of his cheeks rise. There was no hiding it. Yeonjun had that effect on him. "You make it sound like we were never going to see each other again."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"At one point, I thought we weren't," Yeonjun's gaze fell. A heavy guilt weighed his vision down, he was ashamed to admit it, "I thought I wasn't going to make it a few times, Beomgyu."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Baby," Beomgyu's voice was laced with concern. He walked as close to the iron-clad prison as he could so he could have a better look at Yeonjun. This really was just unfair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"There was a point where I thought maybe I should just let it end," the King shook his head as he bit his bottom lip. His eyes slowly lifted to meet Beomgyu, "Every time that I thought I reached my limit, I would hear your heartbeat. I would remember what I was fighting so hard for." He smiled, "You’re my heart, Beomgyu."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You can't say things like that when I can't kiss you," Beomgyu lamented, "It's not fair. I finally found you and I can't even hug you or kiss you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu thought hard as he paced along the bars. He walked left and right, his eyes scanned every crevice that he could. There had to be something that he could do to break these bars. Why were these bars so strong? He couldn't understand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"They're not meant to keep me in," Yeonjun began an explanation. Beomgyu was half-listening to it; he walked alongside the spell-casted iron bars, searching for a break in it or something. His frown deepened as he listened to Yeonjun continue. "These bars are meant to keep people out," Yeonjun explained, "I've only seen these once before. One of Chronos’ allies has an artifact guarded by spells like this."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"How are you so calm right now?" Beomgyu folded his arms over his chest and shook his head, "I love you, but why are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>freaking out about this?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Beomgyu," Yeonjun let out a light laugh, "I've been in here for a few months now. I don't have the energy to freak out about it anymore."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh...," Beomgyu frowned as he reached through the bars again. He reached for Yeonjun's hand. There was comfort in their touch. "I'm sorry."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't apologize, it's not your fault."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Lord Beomgyu captured you. He looks like me. It feels like I should take some of that responsibility," Beomgyu pouted, "Why couldn't my doppelganger be cute like yours?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yeonjun raised an eyebrow, "You met this version of me?" The King might have been good at many things, but keeping his true feelings hidden was not one of them. He always acted on what he felt and that was one of the reasons that Beomgyu adored him so much. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, he's the one who took me to the HYBE Guild and helped me meet up with Taehyun," Beomgyu answered casually but he noticed the sudden change in Yeonjun's expression. The Celestial Mage let out a sigh as he said, "He's sweet, I promise. Though, I'm pretty sure he has a crush on me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He'd be foolish not to," Yeonjun muttered, obviously annoyed with the conversation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu wore a small smirk as he watched the King's expression. King of all of Chronos, the Dragon Slayer of Lightning, a living legend in his own right and Beomgyu's</span>
  <span> f</span>
  <span>iancé</span>
  <span>...all these accolades and he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> jealous of a tiny crush by a sweet farmer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What a ridiculous person. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>God, Beomgyu loved this man.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Let's break you out of this. So, you can stop pouting in the dark," Beomgyu suggested before he let go of Yeonjun's hand again. He grinned, "I wonder which of my Keys can unlock this door ..."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This wasn't Beomgyu. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was, but not the Beomgyu that Jjunie had expected to share a dance with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The realization came to the farmer when they entered the dance floor. There was something different about Beomgyu, not just the quick wardrobe change. It was a different air about him. The warmth that initially attracted Jjunie wasn’t there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This wasn't Beomgyu. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was</span>
  <em>
    <span> Lord</span>
  </em>
  <span> Beomgyu.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Are you from Valenville?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jjunie turned his attention back to the man in front of him. He shook his head, thankful that the masks they wore covered most of his expression. He smiled, "No, I'm not. A neighboring city."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I thought so," Lord Beomgyu smiled before it quickly vanished. His eyes were softer than Jjunie had imagined them to be. "Most people from Valenville tend to avoid dancing with me at these balls," Lord Beomgyu admitted before he looked up at Jjunie and smiled, "So, thank you for asking me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How could someone with such an evil reputation have such a cute smile?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Of course, my Lord," Jjunie said as he took Lord Beomgyu's hand into his. He might have been a farmer, but Jjunie was an exceptional dancer - he had a few lessons taught to him by the school teachers that often came by to buy vegetables from their farm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was small talk as they danced. Jjunie made sure not to mention the plans that had been laid. Instead, he would ask questions about the man in front of him. If he didn't know of this Lord's reputation, from the answers given, he could assume that the Lord was just a lonely being, searching for a place in this world...but Jjunie wasn't ignorant of the things that had been done. He just had a better understanding of </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> they were done now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You're very light on your feet," Lord Beomgyu smiled. He looked at Jjunie, a small glimmer of hope as he asked, "Would you mind a second dance with me? Or have I worn out my welcome with you?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jjunie blinked a few times. For someone who was known to be a villain outside of Valenville, Lord Beomgyu seemed so...innocent, almost as if he needed a kind reassurance. Jjunie cleared his throat before he smiled, "I'd love another dance with you, my Lord."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I know it's a masquerade and we’re supposed to keep the mystery going, but would I be able to know your name?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun wondered why he even bothered to come up with a plan when nothing ever went according to it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blond Mage stared at the farmer dancing with Lord Beomgyu. He had the most dumbfounded expression as he stood there, mouth agape. There was no point in being angry - if he were to walk in and break them apart, it would only increase suspicion. If anything, the farmer might have created a secure diversion for them. Taehyun took a breath as he mentally adjusted his plans.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Let me just find our Beomgyu and ha--," Taehyun looked to his left, then to his right and then returned his glance to the center. "If it's not one thing, it's another...," he grumbled as he tried to keep himself from getting angry. "Where would Beomgyu have gone?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun stepped to the side as he tried to go over the facts that he knew. Right now, he knew where Jjunie and Lord Beomgyu were - he could see them on the dance floor. He knew that Hyun and his Soobin were going to take care of the dessert situation - as long as the desserts were taken care of, there wouldn’t be too much suspicion raised. He also knew that Beomgyu was supposed to look for Yeonjun - he didn't know where either of that annoying couple was, but he assumed they would find each other, like they always did. He knew that </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Soobin and Hueningkai were both here but didn’t know where either of them were - that was the one that worried him the most.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me, sir. Would you mind having this dance with me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The voice brought Taehyun out of the thoughts that clouded his mind. Regardless of where his thoughts had led him, he was still at the masquerade. In response to the question of the attendee, he shook his head and declined the offer, “I apologize, I’m not in a dancing mood.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Even with me, Taehyunnie?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Soobin,” Taehyun looked up to see his favorite blue haired Mage.. This wasn’t Hyun’s Soobin - this was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Soobin. It had been a few days since he had last seen him. He let out a soft sigh before he walked right past the hand Soobin held out and hugged him. It had only been a few days and he missed Soobin. He couldn’t imagine what Beomgyu had been going through - a few months sounded like torture. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While he usually would have attempted to maintain some kind of composure, he didn’t know where anyone was and he really needed a Soobin hug to calm him down. “I missed you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I missed you too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun felt himself relax as Soobin hugged him. The tension that had built up disappeared when the taller Mage pressed a kiss on the top of his head. Soobin might have been a Healer, but Taehyun knew it wasn’t Magic that made him feel at ease - perhaps, he had always known it. He savored their hug for a few more minutes before he let go and said, “We should find the others. If we don’t, they’ll probably get into trouble.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soobin nodded, “They always do, don’t they?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hate to admit it, but it feels better when everyone is together. It balances everything out,” Taehyun shrugged. He nodded toward Jjunie and Lord Beomgyu, “I’m going to believe that Farmer Jjunie, Yeonjun’s doppelganger here, will keep Lord Beomgyu distracted enough for us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeonjun’s a farmer here,” Soobin chuckled, “This is going to be a humbling experience for our King.” He smiled and then nodded toward the hallway, “Come on, Kai’s over there. He mentioned that he ran into Beomgyu earlier which means that Beomgyu’s probably with the King.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perfect. That makes it easier to get everyone back together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, Beomie,” Leo said as he took a step back from the prison. The Celestial Spirit of Lion took his sunglasses off, squinted as he looked at the spells written on the bars. He frowned as he shook his head, “My Magic can’t do anything against this thing. I guess we're just going to have to leave him here. Oh well.” Leo shrugged before he put his sunglasses back on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leo was the third Celestial Spirit that Beomgyu had summoned - Scorpio and Taurus were both no help in breaking down the barrier with their strength. It was naive to assume that the Celestial Keys could have unlocked this cell but Beomgyu had been willing to try anything. He let out a heavy sigh as he glared at Leo, “I’m not leaving him here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Summon Aquarius,” Leo suggested, “She has a better understanding about these sorts of spells than I do. She and Aries have been studying ancient Magic recently.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s in a language older than Halraak,” Yeonjun said as he looked up at them from where he sat. He had taken a seat when Beomgyu summoned Taurus - he tried to tell the Celestial Mage that he didn’t think it would work, but he knew better than to insist when Beomgyu was in full determination mode. No one could break Beomgyu’s fixation when he decided to do something. “I thought it was Ssandeaux, but it’s probably even older than that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If it’s Ssandeaux, then I really don’t know anything. I’ve only been a Celestial Spirit for less than half a millennium. Ssandeaux is hundreds of millenniums old,” Leo shook his head as he shrugged, “Aquarius should know. She’s been a Celestial Spirit for a couple hundred millennia. She’s practically ancient.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> Yeonjun both looked at Leo with matching puzzled expressions. The Celestial Mage tilted his head to the side slowly as he asked, “You weren’t always a Celestial Spirit?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I was a King at one point before all of the Celestial Magic happened.” There was a growing smirk on Leo as he nodded, “Man, if I met you before I became a Celestial Spirit, you two wouldn’t be engaged.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Doubt it,” Yeonjun muttered as he glared at Leo. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Celestial Spirits aren’t just Spirits…?” Beomgyu’s brows furrowed as he tried to piece together the information he knew but it did not add up. He frowned, “Leo...we will talk about this when we’re done with this thing. I will only allow myself to be confused by one thing at a time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time to discuss all of our mysteries after. Taehyun wanted to ask about Time Travel too, remember?” Leo put an arm around Beomgyu as he suggested, “Call Aquari--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Beomgyu, hide,” Yeonjun said as he stood up. “Find somewhere to hide. The entrance just opened. Please, hide. I’ll figure out how to distract them. When the coast is clear, just get out immediately.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yeonjun was locked in a Magical cage and was still trying to protect Beomgyu. The Celestial Mage pouted as he tried to find a reason to protest, but there was no time to waste. He dragged Leo by the arm to hide both of them under the stairwell. Although Yeonjun said he would distract whoever entered to make way for Beomgyu’s escape, the Celestial Mage was not going to just leave - he’d be damned if he let Yeonjun’s martyrdom ruin this rescue plan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? He’s not here? I told him Yeonjun was here. I thought he would have ran down here to see him.” It was Hueningkai’s voice that echoed through the dungeon. Three sets of footsteps trailed down the staircase. “Beomgyu? Are you down here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You guys are so loud,” Beomgyu scolded them as he moved away from where he and Leo had been hidden. He wanted to scold them more, but he was just relieved to see that they were all here. He smiled and said, “I can’t break these bars. There’s a spell on them and it’s stopping Yeonjun from being able to get out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I told you,” Leo interrupted as he looked up at the bars, “You should call Aqua.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu nodded as he reached for the Aquarius key. As he was ready to summon her, he stopped - Taehyun walked right up to the bars. His eyes followed the words as he said, “I’ve seen this before. There’s a cave near the village I grew up in and it’s covered in this writing - Veauxlyn.” He frowned as he muttered, “I didn’t think I would see this anywhere outside of that cave.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The Village of Ghosts?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My home,” Taehyun said as his fingers hovered in front of the bars. He knew better than to touch them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu walked next to Taehyun as he asked, “Can you undo whatever this spell does?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not impossible but it will take time that I don’t think we have,” Taehyun said as he frowned. “If we could be here for a full day or two, maybe but I don’t think we have that luxury. It’s not like Jjunie can keep Lord Beomgyu distracted for a few days.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Time was something that they didn't have much of. The urgency pressured them, but even with its pressure, they knew rushing would be more trouble than it was worth. While they stood in contemplation, their attention was caught as they heard the King curse quietly, "Shit."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What is it?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That Hunter is here. You need to get out of here," Yeonjun's eyes remained focused on the figure at the top of the staircase. He looked over to Beomgyu, "You, especially, need to get out of here. I refuse to let you go through this."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He uses your lightning."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I know, Beomgyu. That's why you need to go."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I beat him before," Beomgyu insisted as he looked at Yeonjun."I can do it again. I just found you. I'm not leaving you, Yeonjun."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Baby...," Yeonjun frowned. Beomgyu knew that Yeonjun was frustrated. Whenever it came to battles, the Dragon Slayer was always the most eager at protecting Beomgyu. While Beomgyu appreciated his fiancé's dedication in protecting him, Beomgyu was stronger and he kept getting stronger. He looked over to Yeonjun, "Just trust me, okay?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Although Yeonjun slowly nodded in agreement, Beomgyu understood the hesitation. It was hard to believe things would be okay when their Hueningkai launched himself into battle without warning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Kai!" Soobin cried out as he attempted to stop their youngest Mage, but once the Beast Soul user shifted, it was impossible to control him. Soobin looked over to Taehyun and Beomgyu, eyes pleading for help.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kai heard their warnings to stop. He could almost feel their worry, but right now, his target was this world's version of him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He acted on animalistic instinct.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The transformation shift began that moment Kai locked eyes with the Hunter. His Beast Soul abilities had connected to his instincts - the moment his calm nature bubbled into anger, his Magic began to transform him. Although Kai had been able to maintain control, there was something the Hunter version of himself that tapped into frustration and anger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How could someone willingly do such awful things? How could someone hunt people down like prey?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a heavy crack in the air as dark Dragon wings sprouted from Kai's back. A painful groan came from Kai as the wings tore through. They spread across, strong and wide. It took a moment for Kai to adjust before the wings pushed a force strong enough to launch up to the top of the steps. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he ascended, Kai began a flurry of attacks. Even with the leverage of his Dragon wings, the Hunter version of him was quick in battle - this attack of fists should have rendered the Hunter useless, but it didn't. Instead, the Hunter deflected and avoided the hits that Kai had done, as he could almost predict his movements. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You're too soft-hearted," the Hunter announced, "There's a hesitation in your eyes before you move. That's how I can tell what you're about to do."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm going to stop you," Kai announced, "You can't get away with this anymore." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm not here to fight you," the man said as he backed away from Kai. His stance had softened, less threatening and more pleading, "I want to ask you something. Lord Beomgyu, he nee--"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The question was interrupted by the shuffling of guards' footsteps. The castle guards hurried through the door, quickly descending down the stairs to capture the intruders. The Hunter's eyes widened in surprise as he shook his head, "What are you doing?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The prisoner needs to be kept here but if we capture the Celestial Mage, the plans will go forward," the guard answered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's not part of the pl--," the Hunter's conversation ended as Kai used his wings to propel him forward. The impact was so strong that it broke through the walls, pushed both Kai and the Hunter outside of the castle and into the courtyard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know you said that you needed a day or so to undo the spells on this thing,” Beomgyu said as he turned to Taehyun. He put a hand on Taehyun’s shoulder and said, “I’m going to need you to speed that up to like an hour. We’ll take care of the guards. You take care of these things.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before Taehyun could throw an argument at him, Beomgyu had turned away. As he reached for one of his Keys, he nodded at Leo - the bond between a Celestial Mage and his Spirit could easily change the tide of battle. While Leo spearheaded the attack, Beomgyu reached for his Taurus Key. As his Mana entered the Key, Beomgyu unlocked the Celestial Weapon: the Taurus Axe. The Gold Key shifted into a double-handed Axe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu had declined a majority of the Quests that had been offered to him, but he didn’t waste that time. The Celestial Mage had spent those few months training himself. He spun the Axe before he wrapped his hands around the handle; he held it tightly as he ran toward the cluster of the fight. As he swung the Axe, Leo kicked off the ground and jumped into the air to release an attack of light before the enemies could attack. For every attack that left Beomgyu vulnerable, Leo was quick to protect his Mage - a Celestial Spirit’s duty was to protect his Mage, after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Beomie,” Leo called out as his back pressed against Beomgyu’s, “These aren’t heavy attack guards. They’re built for defending. If we don’t take them out quickly, we’re just going to be tiring ourselves out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, we wipe them out and buy enough time for Taehyun to get through the bars,” Beomgyu frowned, “We need to get to Ka--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll do it,” Soobin called out, “I’ll get to Kai but you two need to protect Taehyun for me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Soobin, I beat the Hunter before so I know how to fight against him,” Beomgyu argued as he looked up at the taller Mage. He was ready to argue with Soobin but the guards started to descend from the staircase. “Okay, you go to Kai. Leo and I will take care of these guys. Hurry up,” Beomgyu insisted, “Take care of the Hunter.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This situation did not sit well with Beomgyu. Every time that they split the group, even for a little bit, always led to trouble. He sighed as he turned back to Leo, “Let’s make short work of these guys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unlike the guards at Chronos, the ones here didn’t have Magical power for offense. In fact, they didn’t have an offensive line - heavy defense was their focus. Leo was right. The longer they fought against these guards, the more Mana that Beomgyu would waste. He frowned as he returned the Taurus Axe back into its Key form.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Beomie?” Leo asked as he raised an eyebrow, “What are you doing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m finally doing what you said,” Beomgyu smiled as he flipped the Aquarius Key in the air and caught it. He looked up at Leo, “I’m calling Aquarius.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With the Key of Aquarius in hand, Beomgyu opened a Casting Circle in his palm; he chanted his incantation as he released his Mana into the Key. “Aquarius,” he finally called out as he turned the Key in the air, “Unlock!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A wave of cool Mana filled the room, wrapped all in a refreshing air as the blue-haired mermaid appeared in front of them. Beomgyu smiled as Aquarius fully manifested in front of him. She lovingly returned the smile to her Mage. After a nod of acknowledgement to Beomgyu, her gaze turned into a murderous glare as she stared Leo down. She slowly repeated his words, “Practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>ancient</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Leo?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Spirit of the Lion started to laugh nervously as he smiled, “Come on, Aqua. You know I didn’t mean that. I just meant that you are more well-versed in the mature side of ma--,” Leo’s words were put on pause as Aquarius drenched him in icy water. Leo look off his sunglasses and shook the water off as he muttered, “You can’t just throw water at people every time yo--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe me and my </span>
  <em>
    <span>ancient</span>
  </em>
  <span> ears can’t hear you correctly, Leo.” Aquarius said as she smirked, “You know, since we can’t remember everything, us, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hags,</span>
  </em>
  <span> end up repeating things sometimes, right?” Beomgyu tried to stifle his laughter - Leo deserved this. She flipped her hair as she turned away from Leo and set her attention on the most important man in her life, “Do you want me to show you how a </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> Celestial Spirit takes care of these guards, Beomgyu?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you so much, Aquarius,” Beomgyu laughed as he nodded, “Please. Show us how.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aquarius’ eyes sharpened as she turned to face the guards. The mermaid’s lips curled into a smile as she spun her new vase in her hands. The Water Bearer gave them a final coy smile before she lifted her vase and let a flood of water blast its way toward them - the flood washed the guards away, knocked them over and cleared the room. To ensure Beomgyu’s safety, Aquarius snapped her fingers and a bubble surrounded the guards - “Water Lock,” Aquarius calmly said. With her attack finished, she brushed her hair aside and smirked at Leo, “That’s how Celestial Spirit handles this situation, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Leo</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When I get you out of here, please promise me you’re not going to be staring at Beomgyu like that the entire time,” Taehyun muttered as he continued with his attempt to break the spellwork on the bars. He knew he needed to speed through this, but a miscalculation would cause more problems than necessary. The last thing they needed was for both him and Yeonjun to become casualty to faulty diswarding.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yeonjun chuckled, “You’ve never seen your face when you look at Soobin, King of Hearts. Your iciness melts away every time you look at him.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You and Beomgyu are exactly the same,” Taehyun muttered as he scanned through the bar in front of him. Unlike most of the languages used in written spells, Veauxlyn wasn’t a language easily read - it was more mathematical, logical based. He bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to go over the text.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Both of us are amazing,” Yeonjun laughed. He shook his head in amusement as he took a seat, “I’ll stop distracting you from the translating.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Amazing? You two are a match made in narcissistic Heaven,” Taehyun muttered as he walked down the line. The sounds of the fight carried over, but Taehyun remained focused. This seemed much more challenging for the King - every time they heard Beomgyu, he could see Yeonjun’s expression tense. “Relax,” Taehyun said, “I’m the last person to tell this to Beomgyu, but he’s gotten much stronger than the first time we all met. He can handle a few Mana-less guards.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know that,” Yeonjun replied, “But it’s not the guards I’m worried about.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun looked over to Yeonjun, “What do you mean? There’s more than just these guards? I couldn’t sense anything?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s the people that they gave my Mana to,” Yeonjun frowned. His eyes looked past Taehyun, focused only on Beomgyu. “It’s best you break through this quickly. If they get involved, you’re going to need as much help as you can possibly have.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who are those people?” Taehyun asked as he frantically searched through the engraved spell. “If you’ve been here for a few months, does that me--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“More than two months worth of my drained Mana has been harvested for them,” Yeonjun explained. He frowned, “At first, I thought that all they wanted was my Dragon Slayer Mana ...but they figured out that when they drained all of that, all I was left with the Celestial Mana from Beomgyu. That’s what they want. That’s why we need to get Beomgyu out of here before they get here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The urgency rose as Taehyun searched through the etched markings. There needed to be a break in this, something that he could undo. He sighed as he looked to Yeonjun, “If I can make an opening, just a small one…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’d be enough. I just need enough to charge and I’ll take care of the rest.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Soobin had followed the path of destruction that Kai and the Hunter caused. The Healer shielded his eyes as he carefully climbed over the fallen debris; he coughed as the dust filled the air. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kai!” Soobin called out as he tried to see them past the thickened air. The Beast Soul User was engaged in battle. It was strange to Soobin. For all the years that he knew Kai, the younger Mage had never been one for immediate offense - he had always opted for defense, especially toward others. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It surprised Soobin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Though the warning toward the Hunter had been present, the man wasn’t attacking. All he did was defend against the attacks from Kai. Soobin’s ears picked up the man’s pleas: “You are fighting blinded by anger! Please, I need your help. Lord Beomgyu needs your help.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t let you get away with hurting people!” Kai shouted as his wings flapped with all his strength. His wings created a flurry of air that turned the rumble and dust into a tornado. “You have to pay for all the things you have done!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine,” the Hunter replied, “But I need to help Lord Beomgyu.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At first, Soobin wasn’t sure if he heard correctly - was this man asking for help? Asking for help for Lord Beomgyu? However as Kai’s wings created gusts of wind, Soobin could not hear what the Hunter wanted. “Man,” Soobin frowned as he realized what he needed to do.  He placed his hands together as he released Mana to form a Casting Circle. “I’m sorry, Kai,” he whispered as he aimed the Casting Circle at his friend. “It’s time to take a nap,” he cast a spell to knock Kai out for a few minutes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When his winged friend felt the effects of the Spell, Soobin ran under him to catch him. He gently laid Kai down, made sure the younger Mage was comfortable before he turned to the Hunter. “It’s against better judgement for me to listen to you,” Soobin explained as he towered over the man on the ground. He looked at him, searched for something to tell him that this was just another trick but he continued, “You’ve been asking for help since you appeared in front of us. I’m going to give you five minutes to explain to me why we should help you. If you try anything,” Soobin’s eyes sharpened as he warned, “You won’t even know that you died.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jjunie was not sure how this even happened. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Through mistaken identity, he had asked Lord Beomgyu to dance but four dances later, the two of them were now sitting outside on the balcony. During their multiple dances, Jjunie attempted to spot the others in the crowd - all he caught was the sight of Taehyun leaving with a different Soobin. After that, he couldn’t see anyone else. Not that he was focused on that. The shared dances with Lord Beomgyu had been surprisingly pleasant; Jjunie had a new understanding of the man. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At some point, Lord Beomgyu had taken glasses of wine from a passing waiter for both of them. Jjunie did not drink his wine as quickly as the other did nor would he ask for a second (and third) the way that Lord Beomgyu did. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Jjunie asked as he took Lord Beomgyu’s wine glass away. He set the empty cup aside as he looked over to the man. Even with their masks on, he would see there was a worry in the man’s eyes, “I know we just met...but did I do something to push you into drinking?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh no, no. You? No. You’re perfect,” Lord Beomgyu said before he realized what he’d just said. He cleared his throat, “Sorry, it’s not you. You’re actually the best part of my night, Jjunie. It’s been awhile since I got to enjoy dancing and talking to someone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s hard to believe,” Jjunie smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’d be surprised at how many people avoid me,” He said quietly as he looked away from Jjunie. “So, honestly, thank you.” He giggled, “It’s like a dream to meet someone who isn’t scared of me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?” Jjunie knew the answer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because, I’m not the best person. I’m trying to keep people safe but these efforts don’t read well for everyone,” Lord Beomgyu frowned. He shook his head, “We shouldn’t talk about that. We’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves here. It’s a masquerade ball!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re taking a break, remember? Fresh air and all,” Jjunie smiled at him. “Everyone needs a break. If you keep going without taking one, you’re the one who’ll break.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe, I deserve to break…,” Lord Beomgyu sighed as he looked over to Jjunie, “Can a person be forgiven for the things he’s done?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think that as long as there is effort and intention there, forgiveness is an option,” Jjunie spoke softly as he met Lord Beomgyu’s gaze. He wondered what silent troubles this man had been going through alone. “It’s not much, but I believe that you can be forgiven if you want to be.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lord Beomgyu’s eyes brightened as he looked to Jjunie. There was a sorrow in his smile, one that Jjunie wanted to erase. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jjunie, I—,” Lord Beomgyu was interrupted by the crash of the castle walls. He frowned as he stood up. A heavy sigh came from him as he looked to the farmer, “I have to go, Jjunie. I hope...I hope I can see you again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You are a child among us, Leo. I don’t care if you’re the spirit of Leo,” Aquarius shouted as she held her vase at the ready, “I will drown you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was just saying, you are one of the olde—“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A strong wave cancelled Leo’s sentence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu decided that it was in his better judgement to see how far Taehyun had gotten in this jailbreak attempt. The last thing he wanted was to be caught in the whirlpool of Aquarius and Leo’s argument. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t pressure me,” Taehyun did not look up when Beomgyu approached. His focus was aimed at the spell work - his fingers hovered above it as he slowly released precise Mana into the coding. “I haven’t seen this in years, so I’m a little rusty,” he explained.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not pressuring you,” Beomgyu replied as he sat down beside Taehyun. He leaned back and sighed, “I just want this to be over with.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re so strong now, Beomgyu,” Yeonjun said from behind the bars. He smiled at Beomgyu, “I can’t believe how much you’ve improved.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Celestial Mage flushed at the compliment. Nearly three months without hearing Yeonjun’s voice had him flustered at even the smallest compliments now. He shook his head as a smile played upon his lips. “I cannot wait for you to get out of here,” Beomgyu sighed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe I should leave him here,” Taehyun teased, “You two are going to be disgusting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu’s laughter filled the room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Although there was a lightness in the room, a silent doubt began to grow in the back of Beomgyu’s mind. There was an uneasiness about the situation. He was so close to getting Yeonjun back and yet, it felt like everything could go wrong ...he took a deep breath as he looked back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nothing was going to go wrong, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was all in his head, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu shook off the thoughts as he turned to face Yeonjun again. He smiled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Soon</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It would just take a little bit longer and they could </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally</span>
  </em>
  <span> be reunited. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>BEOMGYU!</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leo’s voice cried out in the dark of the dungeon. The argument between Leo and Aquarius had been dropped. Nothing was more important than the safety of their Celestial Mage. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aquarius launched a tidal wave toward the grotesque figures at the staircase. She engaged in battle immediately, ready to protect her Mage from harm - her attacks came in relentless waves, the flurry of water aimed at the figures. The figures were pushed back, withdrawn for a moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Beomgyu,” Leo grabbed his wrist, pulled him up as he warned, “Get out. I don’t care what happens, you need to get out. They’re the Devoid. They feed on Celestial Mana.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about you and Aquarius?” Beomgyu asked, panic struck his expression. His fingers instinctively reached for his keys, “I’ll close your ga—“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leo grabbed his Key and Aquarius’ out of Beomgyu's hands. He shook his head, “We’ll hold these back. You have to leave.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aquarius and I will return. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> can’t. If the Devoid gets you,” Leo frowned as he looked at Beomgyu. He put a hand on Beomgyu’s shoulder, “Please, please, Beomie. I don’t need to see another Celestial Mage fall to the Devoid.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leo, let me he—“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aquarius let out a shattering scream as the shadowy figures surrounded her. Their dark claws punctured into her skin, tore at her scales but she persisted in fighting. She summoned her trident, ready to pierce through the monsters but before she could, one of them bit into her shoulder. The sound of her trident clattered in the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!!” Beomgyu shouted as he started to run toward Aquarius. He heard Taehyun and Yeonjun call out, but he could only hear Aquarius’ cries. He didn’t have a plan. All he knew was that he needed to protect Aquarius. He ran toward her, heartbeat pounded through his entirety as he pushed past whatever these shadowy figures were. “I’m here, I’m here,” Beomgyu cried out as he dropped down beside the Mermaid. He held her as he reminded, “I’m here, I’m here. Aquarius, I’m right here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Beomgyu, get out,” Aquarius’ voice was softer than he had ever heard. He had seen her harmed in battle before, but this was different. The wound in her shoulder looked infected, as if the bite spread a poison into her. Her breathing labored, each one more difficult than the previous breath. She put a hand to his cheek, “Please, Beomgyu. Leave. Leave this to me and Leo, we’ll buy you time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Beomgyu said firmly as he shook his head. “I refuse to leave anyone behind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Beomgyu, I know that you love us but you have to take care of yourself. You need to protect the others,” Aquarius insisted as she closed her eyes. “Leo and I can handle this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you can’t,” Beomgyu exclaimed as he looked in Aquarius’ eyes, “If I lea--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leo dashed past Beomgyu. The bright glow of Mana formed in the center of Leo’s palm as he kicked off the ground; he launched himself into the air as he called out, “Regulus Gatling Impact!” The barrage of punches connected with an aftershock of Mana that shattered through the Devoid. The figures fell slump, almost melted into the ground as Leo ran in front of Beomgyu. His back was toward Beomgyu, ready to protect his Mage from anything that would come forward.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Take Aquarius and go,” Leo said as he tossed the Aquarius Key back to Beomgyu. “Close her gate. She needs to get to the Celestial Realm. Aries will be able to heal that Devoid wound.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leo, I’m not letting you sacrifice yourself again!” Beomgyu’s frustrations started to build up as he could feel the situation’s pressure fall on his shoulders. The tension built up tears in his eyes as he picked the Aquarius Key. His lips turned downward as he looked at Aquarius. With a gentle kiss on her forehead, he smiled, “I’m sending you back to the Celestial Realm, Aquarius. Please get healed.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Beomgyu, no. I’ll stay, I’ll fig--,” she protested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aquarius Gate, seal,” Beomgyu turned her Key into the air. He closed his eyes as he watched the Mermaid dematerialize and return to her realm. He looked at Leo, “Leo …”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Beomie,” Leo shook his head at Beomgyu, “No. I’m fighting with you. The others won’t do it, but I will force my way back out each time, Beomie. I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> letting the Devoid get you. Not while I’--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu ran toward his Celestial Spirit. He hugged tightly as he whispered, “I refuse to watch you die again, Leo.” He took the Leo Key back from the Spirit of the Lion. Leo shouted, cursed something to Beomgyu but right now, Beomgyu refused to hear it. He took Leo’s Key and locked it in the air, “Leo Gate, seal.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Celestial Mage fell to his knees as he felt Leo disappear back into the Celestial Realm. He could already feel the heat of the Gold Key - Leo was attempting to return, but Beomgyu held the Key tightly. He muttered a spell as he half-charged it with Mana; Leo wouldn’t be able to get through if Beomgyu’s Mana was shielding the entrance. His eyes lifted slowly, looked over to the Devoid.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The creatures had endless, hallowed eyes; they seemed so empty, lifeless but there was an intoxicating vision in them. He blinked a few times as he tried to look away, but the creatures changed. They were shapeless shadows at first, but as they looked into Beomgyu’s eyes, they started to form into familiar beings ...his mother, his father, his brother, the Guild Master, the Virtues ...people that he knew.  Why were they here?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mom …,” Beomgyu called out as the dark figure reached out to him. Its hand gently cupped his cheeks - it felt familiar, something he hadn’t felt in a while. His mother always had soft hands. As he called out again, the creature smiled the way his mother did but this wasn’t mother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a laughter that came from it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t believe we’ve found a new source. The Dragon Slayer had Celestial Mana, but it’s not enough,” it smiled as it forced Beomgyu to stand up. Its eyes returned to that hallowed state as its smile widened again, “You are going to our most favorite meal.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu screamed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It bit into his shoulder. Its sharp teeth punctured through, drew as much blood as it could. Each time Beomgyu tried to move, he felt another of these creatures bite into him. Each bite drained him of his Mana. He tried to fight back, tried to punch through, tried to kick but he started to feel limp. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No …”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tears fell as he continued to struggle. He should have listened but at least, he knew that his Celestial Spirits were safe. He would rather bear this pain than let the others get involved. Beomgyu closed his eyes as his tears fell - he no longer had the energy to hold them back any further. He was getting so tired. Why was this happening?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeonjun …”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A spark of lightning crackled through the air. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The creatures that crucified Beomgyu with their teeth fell backward. They were shocked  by the thunder’s anger - the heat of the lightning ruptured through the Devoid, electrocuting them with as much strength as it could muster. The creatures that surrounded the Celestial Mage backed away, disengaged from the brightness and hid to recuperate in the darkness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu slowly opened his eyes. He didn’t fall to the ground, he was caught. As his vision settled, he looked up at his King. Sobs came from Beomgyu as he clung on to Yeonjun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, I’m late,” Yeonjun hugged him tightly, “But I’m here now, darling.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you so much for making it to the end of this chapter! our adventure in aracante is getting heated. this arc will be over soon, promise! as usual, more mysteries about the celestial realm keep popping up, huh? heh. we'll unravel them soon!</p>
<p>if you'd like to keep up with me, my projects and get a few sneak peaks on dybim2, please follow me on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/nine3rds">@ nine3rds</a>.</p>
<p>thank you again for reading!</p>
<p>as always, love ya!<br/>appreciate ya!<br/>see ya in the next chapter!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm back but I'm also back with these marvelous cliff-hangers! </p><p>Like before, please follow my twitter @ <a href="https://twitter.com/nine3rds">nine3rds</a> - I post a variety of polls whose results directly affect the story's plot, behind the scenes of this series (and the others that I work on) and plenty of previews for upcoming chapters!</p><p>Thank you for reading! See ya in the next chapter, pals!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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